We synthesized catechol-conjugated chitosan (CCC) to study its usefulness as a construction material additive in cement mortar. The degree of catechol conjugation (DOC cat ) of the synthesized CCC was determined to be approximately 14% by UV-vis and 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the hydroxyl and amine groups in CCC could play a crucial role in hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, and cross-linking processes via interaction with adducts from cement mortar. In this study, we observed an improvement in the compressive strength and absorption rate, suggesting that CCC is a promising candidate for high-performance cement mortar.

Cement concrete is the most commonly used building and construction material worldwide because of its many advantages. Over time, however, it develops cracks due to shrinkage and tension, which may lead to premature failure of the entire structure. Recently, the incorporation of polymers has been explored to improve the overall strength and durability of cement concrete. In this study, two types of chitosan-based bio-inspired polymers (a-BIP and b-BIP) were synthesized and mixed with cement mortar in different proportions (5–20%). The fluidity of the resulting mixtures and the properties of the hardened samples, such as the compressive and tensile strengths, drying shrinkage, and carbonation resistance, were evaluated. The characteristics of the polymers were tuned by varying the pH during their syntheses, and their structures were characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. After 28 days of aging, all samples containing BIPs (35.9–41.4 MPa) had noticeably higher compressive strength than the control sample (33.2 MPa). The tensile strength showed a similar improvement (up to 19.1%). Overall, the mechanical properties and durability of the samples were separately dependent on the type and amount of BIP.

Recently, sustainable development has attracted significant global attention. Toward this, several studies have been performed on the development of alternative aggregates for mortar or concrete to prevent environmental damage and rapid depletion of natural aggregates. In this study, we investigated the applicability of a chitosan-based polymer (CBP), a biomimetic polymer, to cement mortar using steel slag as a fine aggregate. The CBP was synthesized via an amide coupling reaction among chitosan, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride, and 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propionic acid. Upon addition to cement mortar using natural sand or a blast furnace slag aggregate, the CBP contributed toward increasing the compressive strength and tensile strength. However, in mortar mixes using a ferronickel slag aggregate, the tensile strength decreased by ~5.7%–25.4% upon CBP addition. Moreover, the CBP reduced the total charge passed through the mixes. In particular, in the mortar mix using the steel slag aggregate, the CBP showed improved chloride-ion penetration resistance. The results showed that the as-prepared CBP was a suitable improving agent and exhibited promising compatibility with cement composites containing steel slag aggregates.

An efficient synthetic approach involving indole alkylation/Pictet-Spengler cyclization was developed to form benzazepinoindole derivatives. The reactions proceeded smoothly with indoles, 2-aminobenzyl alcohols, and aldehydes in the presence of TiCl 4 as a Lewis acid catalyst. The developed one-pot protocol is operationally simple and tolerates various functional groups. Furthermore, this mild and practical tandem reaction provides a direct route to access benzazepinoindole-containing natural products and bioactive compounds.[a] E.