Lightweight, high-strength, thermal- and sound-insulating reed scraps/portland cement composite using extruded resin particles

Abstract

The development of a lightweight composite made from reed scraps, Portland cement, and polystyrene particles can simultaneously address issues related to reed waste, environmental pollution, and carbon emissions produced by the construction industry. However, standard polystyrene particles have low bonding strength with Portland cement and reed scraps, giving the resulting composites inferior mechanical properties and thermal and acoustic insulation characteristics. To overcome these limitations, nano-silicon expanded resin particles (NSERP), composed of polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, nano-silicon, and various modifiers, were introduced to replace traditional polystyrene particles in the composite. These novel particles enhanced the interfacial bonding strength and improved the mechanical properties, as well as the thermal and acoustic insulation capabilities of the composites. This study investigated the effects of the water-cement ratio, reed scraps-to-cement ratio, and NSERP dosage on the composite's properties through single-factor experiments. The optimized composite had a density of 0.66 g/cm³ and a compressive strength of 2.5 MPa, and its sound absorption coefficient in the middle and high-frequency bands was 0.7, which was approximately 4.3 times higher than that of conventional silicate composites. Its thermal insulation performance surpassed that of standard composites. This lightweight, high-strength, thermally insulating, environmentally friendly, and energy-efficient multifunctional composite has potential applications in building energy conservation, traffic noise reduction, and new energy battery insulation.