Asphalt aging and its anti-aging mechanism based on quantum chemistry

To study asphalt aging and its anti-aging mechanism, the Frontier Orbital theory, Fukui Function, and Density Functional Theory are applied.The data reveals that 65 nm UV light can dissociate O2 into O radicals during UV aging. Among the resin components, sulfur (S) exhibits the highest radical attack index (f0) of 0.131. Resin molecules absorb UV light at 344 nm and 311 nm, leading to π electron transitions in S with a 28% probability. This result aligns with f0, indicating that f0 adequately reflects chemical reactivity. Resin molecules with electron transitions in S can form sulfoxide by creating a new delocalized π bond with unpaired electrons from oxygen radicals. Thermal oxidative aging at a temperature of 241 K has the potential to form carbonyl, hydroxyl, and peroxide bridge bonds. Ageing-resistant agents with a high f0 value on their outer layer compete with resin molecules in radical reactions, thereby exhibiting anti-aging effects. Calculation results indicate a slight increase in the number of carbonyl and peroxide bridge bonds after short-term aging, which becomes more prominent under pressure aging. UV aging is expected to result in a significant increase in sulfoxide, carbonyl, and ether bonds. The combination of experimental and calculated findings suggests that using quantum chemistry for qualitative analysis of aging mechanisms is a feasible approach. This method aids the investigation of asphalt anti-aging measures and enhances the efficiency of optimizing asphalt anti-aging agents.