Water‐soluble sulfonated phenolic resins. II. Surface property and effectiveness as a dispersing agent

This article presents the surface activeity of a synthetic sulfonated phenolic resin (SPR) and evaluates its performance in cement mortars. It is indicated that the prepared SPR has the characteristics of a polymeric surfactant that can decrease the surface tension of water. When resin was added into cement mortars, the resulting materials exhibited better workability, more consolidated stucture, and higher compressive strength than the untreated. Therefore, SPR could be used as a water reducing admixture for cementitious materails. In addition, resins with higher sulfonate group content and low molecular weight appear to be more effective. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.