Mussel-inspired biomimetic modification to enhance adhesion properties between granite and asphalt: Multi-scales characterizations and molecular mechanisms

[Display omitted] •Mussel-inspired biomimetic modification improves granite adhesion properties.•Fire-scorching reduces the adhesion properties of SCA surface-modified granite.•Mussel-inspired biomimetic modification has better resistance to fire-scorching.•Mussel-inspired biomimetic modification enhances polarity of granite surface. Mussel-inspired biomimetic modifiers and amine surface modifiers were used to biomimetic modify granite surface to improve adhesion properties of granite with asphalt. Adhesion properties of granite were characterized at multi-scales, where the fire-scouring effect during hot mixing on adhesion properties of surface modified granite was considered. Meanwhile, adhesion mechanism between surface modified granite and asphalt was explored based on molecular simulation. The results of study were as follows: (1) Mussel-inspired biomimetic surface modification of granite could significantly enhance adhesion properties of granite with asphalt, as demonstrated by 115.59 % increase in tensile fracture strength, 81.18 % increase in surface energy, and 82.77 % increase in adhesion force. (2) Mussel-inspired surface biomimetic modification of granite had better resistance fire-scorching effect. Adhesion properties of surface modification by SCA after fire-scorching decreased by 18.51 %, 34.14 %, and 20.07 % at multi-scales, while adhesion properties of mussel-inspired biomimetic modification after fire-scouring decreased by 14.29 %, 9.14 %, and 12.27 % at multi-scales. (3) Molecular simulations showed that surface modified granite could enhance adhesion properties not only by increasing electrostatic interactions, but also by improving granite-asphalt interaction and attracting heavy components of asphalt to rearrangement. Among them, polarity adhesion induced by mussel-inspired biomimetic modification plays dominant role in enhancing adhesion properties.