Damage Evolution and NOx Photocatalytic Degradation Performance of Nano-TiO2 Concrete Under Freeze–Thaw Cycles

Abstract

The internal pore structure of nano-TiO2 concrete deteriorates gradually during freeze–thaw (F–T) cycles. The deterioration process can reveal the F–T damage mechanism and the deterioration law of photocatalytic performance. The evolution law of the pore structure of nano-TiO2 concrete during F–T damage was investigated. Moreover, this paper defined the microscopic F–T damage factor based on porosity and fractal dimension. The results showed that a 2% dosage of nano–TiO2 concrete had better frost resistance and lower porosity in this experiment. Its porosity only increased by 13.3% after 200 F–T cycles, which was much smaller than that of ordinary concrete. Furthermore, the presence of nano-TiO2 enhanced the volume fractal dimension of concrete pores larger than 100 nm, increasing the complexity of the pore structure and contributing to improved frost resistance. F–T damage led to a decrease in the photocatalytic performance of nano–TiO2 concrete. Still, it helped the nitrate on the surface of the concrete to dissolve and disappear more quickly under rainwater washout. Finally, a thermodynamic theory-based concrete F–T damage correction model was constructed, and the model was used to predict F–T damage values for some scholars. The results showed that the correlation between the model values and the experimental values was more than 0.95, which could accurately reflect the degree of F–T damage of concrete. In addition, a prediction model of photocatalytic NO reduction by nano-TiO2 concrete based on microscopic damage factor was established. It provides a theoretical basis for the application of nano-TiO2 concrete in the field of gas pollutant treatment.