Chemical activity score of siliceous rocks in development of self-cleaning cement material

Abstract

The development of photocatalytically active cement materials characterized by a complex of positive properties, such as self-cleaning ability, decompose atmospheric air pollutants, eliminate unwanted odors, etc., is actual scientific direction in the field of building materials science. It is known that ‘core-shell’ compositions obtained by precipitation of photocatalyst particles on dispersed carriers (substrates) are one of the effective types of photocatalytic additives for cement systems. It should be noted that mineral raw materials of various genesis can act as a substrate. Foreign and domestic experience in obtaining ‘core-shell’ photocatalytic systems for cement materials shows that the type of photocatalytic agent carrier has a primary influence on the final parameters of the synthesized composite modifier. The purpose of this study was to establish patterns of influence of the composition of 3 types of opal-cristobalite rocks (diatomite, trepel, opoka) on their chemical activity. It was identified that the reactivity of siliceous rocks grows in the order of trepel → opoka → diatomite. Meanwhile, it was recorded that increase in the content of opal silica in the composition contributed to growth in the sedimentary rock reactivity. The obtained research results indicate the prospects of using diatomite and opoka as dispersed carriers of photocatalytic agents in the composition of self-cleaning cement concretes.