Research progress on supramolecular structures of asphalt

The properties of asphalt binder play an essential role in the design life of asphalt pavement. Analysis of asphalt mechanical behaviors based on the chemical structures provides the theoretical basis for the improvement of asphalt performance in service life. Intermolecular interactions have a significant impact on the macroscopic properties of asphalt, a colloidal material, resulting in the parameters characterizing asphalt molecular structures fail to directly connect with mechanical properties of asphalt. This paper introduces the supramolecular theory, presents a brief review of existing supramolecular models and research methods of asphalt, aiming to explore a new methodology for the investigation between asphalt microstructures and macroscopic properties. Results showed the supramolecular theory focuses on the intermolecular interactions, providing more accurate indicators for the investigation on the asphalt supramolecules. Supramolecular analysis of asphalt has proposed feasible methods and established favorable connections with asphalt properties, giving a new view of understanding asphalt microstructure and a new approach to capture mechanical behaviors of asphalt.