Improving rubber concrete strength and toughness by plasma‐induced end‐of‐life tire rubber surface modification

This study evaluates the effectiveness of using different plasma treatments to favor the compatibility between rubber and a cement matrix in composites, thus leading to a different surface reactivity of the rubber component. Plasma-treated rubbers were introduced into two different types of concrete. Mechanical tests highlighted that Portland concrete composites filled with N2/H2 plasma-treated rubber had increased flexural strength, toughness, and compression strength compared to composites containing untreated rubber. A scaling law is also proposed to qualitatively discriminate between related effects due to topological/roughness or intrinsic/chemical adhesion modifications. Plasma treatment can improve both intrinsic adhesion and roughness of the rubber–cement interface and thus the overall concrete strength and toughness.