Properties and modification mechanism of asphalt with graphene as modifier

[Display omitted] •The commercially available graphene without any pre-treatment was selected as modifier and the graphene modified asphalt with different dosages were prepared.•With the aid ofAFM & FTIR, the modification mechanism indicates that graphene served as asphaltene is only physical blended without chemical reactions occurring. And graphene act as the micellar nucleus is dispersed uniformly in asphalt. •Diffusiontheory is introduced to explain the influence of graphene on the “bee structures”.• Nano-scaled materials with unique characteristics are also drawing attention to modified asphalt, which can give the asphalt pavement excellent performance. In this work, commercially available graphene without any pre-treatment selected as modifier, graphene-modified asphalt with different dosages was prepared. The physical properties, anti-ageing characters, and rheological properties were analyzed. With the aid of microscopic characterization, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), modification mechanism was studied. The research results indicate that incorporating nano-scaled graphene in asphalt can bring effective improvement on the anti-ageing property, high-temperature stability, and temperature sensitivity. Graphene served as asphaltene with high surface energy are dispersed uniformly, and act as the micellar nucleus in asphalt. The increased viscosity and the graphene sheets can impede and prevent the diffusion of oxygen into the asphalt. The FTIR absorption peak at 1030 cm−1 for the SO stretching vibration reveals anti-ageing properties of graphene-modified asphalt. Diffusion theory is introduced to explain the influence of graphene on the “bee structures”. The AFM results also contribute to a better understanding of the modification and anti-ageing mechanism of the graphene-modified asphalt.