Surface Modification of Pulverized Waste Rubber and Its Effect on the Properties of Portland Cement MortarZHENG Li-juan1,2,YU Qi-jun1,2,WEI Jiang-xiong1,2,YU Li-gang1,2,LIU Lan1 (1.College of Materials Science and Engineering,South China University of Technology,Guangzhou 510640,China;2.Key Laboratory of Specially Functional Materials of the Ministry of Education,South China University of Technology,Guangzhou 510640,China)Maleic anhydrid(MAH),one kind of polar monomer,was tried to graft copolymerization on the surface of pulverized waste tyre rubber by using Benzoyl-peroxide (BPO) as initiating agent in the presence of oxygen in this work.Fourier transform infrared(ATR-FTIR) spectra proved that MAH was grafted on the surface of the rubber as the characteristic-peak of carbonyl group appeared at 1 700 cm-1.The results of mechanical property test indicated that with the partial replacement of sand by surface-modified rubber powder the flexural strength of mortar at 28 days was increased by 5%—11.4% and compressive strength was similar compared with control mortar,that was to say that flexural strength to compressive strength ratio of cement mortar,an index of tenacity of cement mortar,was increased.waste tyre rubber;cement mortar;surfacemodification;maleic anhydride;NaOH