A study of the nature and formation of zinc polyacrylate cement using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

The formation and structure of zinc polyacrylate has been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Using this technique we have shown that the fully hardened cement is bonded predominantly by zinc carboxylate complexes, rather than by associations of purely ionic character as had previously been supposed. Ionic bonds are formed in the initial stages of the reaction but are gradually converted to complex forms. This bond rearrangement appears partly responsible for physical changes that occur during gelation, setting, and hardening.