Research Regarding the Influence of TiO2 Nanoparticles on the Performance of Cementitious Materials

Abstract

Urban buildings are subject to deterioration and degradation due to the action of external factors, air pollutants, water, compounds resulting from fuelcombustion used for heating and transportation, etc. Research on self-cleaning cementitious materials is developing at fast pace and contributes to the high interest in the industry in the decrease of evnironmental pollution, which is of real interest. The aim of this paper is to highlight the influence of the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles on the self-cleaning ability of cementitious materials, under staining with an aqueous solution of a rodamina B, followed by exposures to the action of UV rays, followed by artificial rain cycles and to determine the physico-mechanical properties of the material, as well as the white dregree of the samples and their self-cleaning. Based on experimental research results it can be said that the white degree of the samples increased with the increase of the TiO2 amount in the mixtures. Several other factors such as the intensity of the UV light also affected the self-cleaning capacity of the samples, better results being recorded for higher UVA intensity. The TiO2 amount in the mixtures also influences fresh and hardened state properties of the material such as setting time, apparent density, water absorbtion and porosity of the material. It can therefore be said that it is necessary to identify an optimal range of TiO2 nanopraticles concentration in the cementitious matrix, in order to obtain the maximum cumulative benefits in terms of self-cleaning capacity, physico-mechanical properties and costs.