Inorganic Binder Research Articles

Structural Properties of Special Concrete Property

In this article we will talk about concrete - an artificial stone obtained from a properly selected mixture as a result of formation and hardening. By type of binder: cement, silicate, gypsum, liquid glass, polymer. Frost resistance of heavy concrete. We have tried to shed light on the corrosion properties of concrete based on inorganic binders.

Enhanced thermostability and electrochemical performance of separators based on an organic-inorganic composite binder composed of polyvinyl alcohol and inorganic phosphate for lithium ion batteries

The present ceramic-coated separator has poor thermostability above 140 °C since the application of organic binders. Herein, an organic-inorganic composite binder composed of phosphate inorganic binder (PIB) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) organic binder is applied, which greatly improves the thermostability of separator and also enhances the electrochemical performance of battery. Results show that the thermal shrinkage of separator with 0.5%PVA+ 0.5%PIB binder at 140 °C is only 0.86% compared to that of 48% of polyethylene (PE) and 5.2% of separator with 1% PVA. And the thermal shrinkage is low of 3.9% at 200 °C, which is much lower than that of the separator with 1% PVA binder (70%). An interpenetrating porous structure is formed by the “clustered” Al2O3 ceramic with 0.5%PVA+ 0.5%PIB which improves the porosity, electrolyte uptake and conductivity of the separator. Both the OCV-temperature curve and the constant-voltage charging indicates that the separator based on 0.5%PVA+ 0.5%PIB has better safety performance. The battery with 0.5%PVA+ 0.5%PIB separator has higher capacity retention of 91.5% after 100 cycles than that of the PE (82.2%) and separator with 1% PVA (62.8%). And the discharge capacity at 1 C, 2 C and 5 C is 98.4%, 94.3% and 86.1% of the theoretical capacity.

Technological and Quality Aspects of the Use of Innovative Inorganic Binders in the Production of Castings

The production of cores for the pre-casting of holes in castings places high demands on the quality of the molding mixtures used. For this reason, organic binders are still used to a large extent, which, although they meet the technological requirements, are a source of pollutant emissions during the production of castings. The current trend towards greening production is therefore looking for a suitable alternative in ‘green’ inorganic binders. Although for many decades standard inorganic binders could not be compared with organic resins in terms of technological properties, new inorganic binder systems are currently being developed that can largely eliminate these disadvantages, which include, in particular, significantly lower collapsibility and reclaimability, and lower mechanical strength values. Last but not least, the use of these binder systems may be limited by the technological parameter of shelf-life, which is the main focus of this study. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of technological parameters of core production using a new generation of inorganic binder systems on their shelf-life. Shelf-life, defined as the change in mechanical strength and wear resistance as a function of exposure time in a given environment, is evaluated under different climatic conditions.

Preface

All the world as well as our conference faced to the pandemic in 2021. Therefore, the 24th International Conference on Building Materials, Products and Technologies (ICBMPT 2021) had to be postponed from the usual date in June to the new date 29th September to 1st October 2021.The participants appreciated our choice to organize the conference again in the beautiful town of Telč in the Czech Republic, which is popular with many tourists, because it belongs to the cultural heritage under protection of UNECSCO.Despite the difficult situation, the organizers from the Research Institute for Building Materials collected 23 interesting papers among research workplaces in the Czech Republic and abroad. The conference brings not only interesting presentations, but also it creates a platform for scientific discussions and proposals of new mutual projects.The main topics of ICBMPT 2021 were: Inorganic binders, Composite materials, Building materials based on secondary raw materials and Technology and test methods in building industry. Also, several keynote speakers were attracted to contribute to our conference. Besides the conference program, there was a possibility to take part in the specialized workshop Healthy buildings with many interesting topics, among others asbestos treatment and biodeteriogens in building environment.We would like to thank all the participants for their valuable contribution to the conference. We would like to express our gratitude to the reviewers for their time, valuable recommendations and constructive evaluation, in order to guarantee high quality of all the papers. We are looking forward to the next conference in better times!List of Scientific committee, Editors, are available in this pdf.

Mechanical Properties and Durability of Mortars Made with Organic-Inorganic Repair Material

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanical properties and durability of mortars made with organic-inorganic repair materials (OIRMs). The ratio between the main resin and hardener of the organic binder was fixed at 2:1 for the fabrication of OIRM mixtures, while the ratio of the inorganic binder was varied. For a performance comparison with OIRM mixtures, a mortar mixture was fabricated with a conventional cementitious repair material (CRM). The mechanical properties of mortars, such as flow, strength characteristics (compressive, flexural, and bonding strengths), drying shrinkage, and absorption, as well as the durability properties, such as freezing-thawing resistance and resistance to chloride ion penetration, were measured to evaluate mortar performance. The experimental results show that the OIRM mixtures had more favorable mechanical properties (except for compressive strength) and durability than the CRM mixture. In particular, the OIRM mixture with a 1:2:12 (resin:hardener:organic binder) ratio exhibited the most outstanding performances. In conclusion, based on the results of this study, OIRMs should be considered promising repair materials for degraded concrete structures in the future.

Experimental evaluation on workability and strength characteristics of self-consolidating geopolymer concrete based on GGBFS, flyash and alccofine

Increase in cement production due to growing construction sector across the world has resulted in emission of disastrous amount of CO2 gas into atmosphere. This has led to the invention of.an inorganic polymer binder termed as geopolymer concrete (GPC). Studies focusing on developing self-consolidating ability in GPC have gained importance in recent times. Such concrete is termed as Self-consolidating geopolymer concrete (SCGC). This experimental investigation studies the workability and strength characteristics of SCGC based on GGBFS, Fly ash and Alccofine. Laboratory tests were conducted on 6 different SCGC mix design samples. For all mixes binder content was varied in order of 400 kg/m3 and 450 kg/m3. Molarity of NaOH solution was also varied for each mix in order of 10 M, 12 M and 14 M. 60% GGBFS, 35% low calcium fly ash and 5% alccofine were used in all mixes to produce SCGC. Workability of SCGC was determined by conducting J-ring test, Slump test, L-Box test, T50 slump test and V-funnel test as per the guidelines established by EFNARC. Strength characteristics of SCGC were determined after 7 and 28 days by conducting flexure test, compression test and split-tensile test. SEM and XRD analysis were used to determine micro-structure and chemical composition of SCGC respectively. Test results indicated that the SCGC mix containing 14 M NaOH solution and 450 kg/m3 binder content exhibited better workability characteristics with a slump flow of 673 mm and strength characteristics with a maximum compressive strength of 40.2 MPa after 28 days. Maximum workability with a slump flow of 715 mm was exhibited by SCGC mix containing 10 M NaOH solution and 450 kg/m3 binder content. Reference mix containing 100% GGBFS, 500 kg/m3 binder content and 16 M NaOH solution achieved highest compressive strength of 43.5 MPa, flexural strength of 2.9 MPa and tensile strength of 3.5 MPa after 28 days. SEM analysis indicated that the SCGC mix containing 14 M NaOH solution and 450 kg/m3 binder content developed better micro-structure.

Potential of Kale and Lettuce Residues as Natural Adsorbents of the Carcinogen Aflatoxin B1 in a Dynamic Gastrointestinal Tract-Simulated Model.

Adsorption of the carcinogen aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) onto agro-waste-based materials is a promising alternative over conventional inorganic binders. In the current study, two unmodified adsorbents were eco-friendly prepared from kale and lettuce agro-wastes. A dynamic gastrointestinal tract-simulated model was utilized to evaluate the removal efficiency of the sorptive materials (0.5%, w/w) when added to an AFB1-contaminated diet (100 µg AFB1/kg). Different characterization methodologies were employed to understand the interaction mechanisms between the AFB1 molecule and the biosorbents. Based on adsorption results, the biosorbent prepared from kale was the best; its maximum adsorption capacity was 93.6%, which was significantly higher than that of the lettuce biosorbent (83.7%). Characterization results indicate that different mechanisms may act simultaneously during adsorption. Non-electrostatic (hydrophobic interactions, dipole-dipole interactions, and hydrogen bonding) and electrostatic interactions (ionic attractions) together with the formation of AFB1-chlorophyll complexes appear to be the major influencing factors driving AFB1 biosorption.

Na2WO4/Mn/SiO2 Catalyst Pellets for Upgrading H2S-Containing Biogas via the Oxidative Coupling of Methane

Biogas is a promising renewable energy source; however, it needs to be upgraded to increase its low calorific value. In this study, oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) was selected to convert it to a higher fuel standard. Prior to establishing the scaled-up OCM process, the effect of organic/inorganic binders on catalytic activity was examined. The selection of the binders and composition of the catalyst pellet influenced the pore structure, fracture strength, and catalytic activity of the catalyst pellets. It was also observed that the O2 supply from the inorganic binder is a key factor in determining catalytic activity, based on which the composition of the catalyst pellets was optimized. The higher heating value increased from 39.9 (CH4, Wobbe index = 53.5 MJ/Nm3) to 41.0 MJ/Nm3 (OCM product mixture, Wobbe index = 54.2 MJ/Nm3), achieving the fuel standard prescribed in many countries (Wobbe index = 45.5–55.0 MJ/Nm3). The reaction parameters (temperature, gas hourly space velocity, size of the reaction system, and the CH4/O2 ratio) were also optimized, followed by a sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, the catalyst was stable for a long-term (100 h) operation under the optimized conditions.

Rational design of ultrathin composite solid-state electrolyte for high-performance lithium metal batteries

To address the safety and low energy density of conventional liquid electrolyte lithium-ion batteries, ultrathin solid-state electrolyte with high mechanical modulus and ionic conductivity has been widely concerned. Here, we report an ultrathin, mechanically robust and flexible composite solid-state electrolyte, composed of three-dimensional network host (polyimide (PI) film), ionic conductive inorganic particle (Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12), polymer binder (polyvinylidene fluoride), and lithium salt-ionic liquid solution. PI film guarantees the flexibility and thin thickness (∼25 μm) of the composite electrolyte. The introduction of high-content ceramic filler and ionic liquid enhance mechanical strength and room-temperature ionic conductivity (3.7 × 10−4 S cm−1) of composite electrolyte while reducing the interfacial impedance between the electrolyte and the electrode. The capacity retention (153 mAh g−1) of the LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2|Li battery based on the prepared electrolyte is 88% after 100 cycles at 0.1C, which has high safety in practical applications.

Conductive Geopolymers as Low-Cost Electrode Materials for Microbial Fuel Cells.

Geopolymer (GP) inorganic binders have a superior acid resistance compared to conventional cement (e.g., Portland cement, PC) binders, have better microbial compatibility, and are suitable for introducing electrically conductive additives to improve electron and ion transfer properties. In this study, GP–graphite (GPG) composites and PC–graphite (PCG) composites with a graphite content of 1–10 vol % were prepared and characterized. The electrical conductivity percolation threshold of the GPG and PCG composites was around 7 and 8 vol %, respectively. GPG and PCG composites with a graphite content of 8 to 10 vol % were selected as anode electrodes for the electrochemical analysis in two-chamber polarized microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Graphite electrodes were used as the positive control reference material. Geobacter sulfurreducens was used as a biofilm-forming and electroactive model organism for MFC experiments. Compared to the conventional graphite anodes, the anode-respiring biofilms resulted in equal current production on GPG composite anodes, whereas the PCG composites showed a very poor performance. The largest mean value of the measured current densities of a GPG composite used as anodes in MFCs was 380.4 μA cm–2 with a standard deviation of 129.5 μA cm–2. Overall, the best results were obtained with electrodes having a relatively low Ohmic resistance, that is, GPG composites and graphite. The very first approach employing sustainable GPs as a low-cost electrode binder material in an MFC showed promising results with the potential to greatly reduce the production costs of MFCs, which would also increase the feasibility of MFC large-scale applications.

Efficient chemical stabilization of tannery wastewater pollutants in a single step process: Geopolymerization

The treatment of tannery wastewaters is a complex task due to the complexity of the waste: a mixture of several pollutants, both anionic and cationic as well as organic macromolecules which are very hard to treat for disposal all together. Geopolymers are a class of inorganic binders obtained by alkali activation of aluminosilicate powders at room temperature. Such activation process leads to a cement like matrix that drastically decreases mobility of several components via entrapment. This process taking place in the matrix can be hypothesized to be the in-situ formation of zeolite structures. In this work we use a metakaolin based geopolymer to tackle the problem directly in an actual industrial environment. To obtain a geopolymer, the metakaolin was mixed with 10 wt% of wastewater added with sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate as activating solutions. This process allowed a rapid consolidation at room temperature, the average compressive strength was between 14 and 43 MPa. Leaching tests performed at different aging times confirm a high immobilization efficiency close to 100%. In particular, only the 0.008 and 2.31% of Chromium and Chlorides respectively are released in the leaching test after 7 months of aging.

Characterization of Carbonatation Rate of Alkali-Activated Blast Furnace Slag in Various Environments

Carbonatation represents one of the potential degradation processes whose can negatively affect the service life of constructions based on the inorganic binders. The carbonatation depth of the constructions when exposed to various environments is significantly dependent on the existing conditions. The most crucial parameters are the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and humidity. There were selected four environments for the deposition of samples made of the alkali-activated blast furnace slag mortars (exterior, interior, water and CO2 chamber) in this study. These types of environments guarantee the variation of desired parameters influencing the carbonatation rate. The progress of carbonatation was evaluated with a selected technique in time intervals of 28; 56 and 84 days of the sample's exposition to the selected environments. The characterization was done using the destructive techniques (compressive and flexural strength, phenolphthalein method) as well as the non-destructive one like the Impact-Echo or the Ultrasound time passage measurement. The combination of these techniques allows to determine and evaluate the progress of carbonation without the destructive testing of the samples which is necessary for the real applications of these materials.

РОЗРОБКА ВИМОГ ЩОДО ВИГОТОВЛЕННЯ ТАРИ КОНТЕЙНЕРНОГО ТИПУ ПІД РАКЕТИ І БОЄПРИПАСИ З ВИКОРИСТАННЯМ ПЛАСТМАСОВОЇ СИРОВИНИ

In this article, an analysis was made of those containers which are used in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among the latter, it should be noted military packaging, as a specialized type of protection for R&A by various types and complexity, where every detail in the design of a container packaging is an important factor on which a number of characteristics responsible for storing ammunition depend. The need to introduce new types of containers for ammunition storage has been one of the most important over the past 15 years. The operation of wooden containers with a low resource is a temporary measure that has negative consequences in the arsenals system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The solution to this problem requires immediate intervention and the commissioning of fundamentally new types of containers for ammunition. The article shows the importance of organizing the production of basalt-fiber materials with additives in the form of plastic-containing materials, the prospects of their use for solving the economic problems of Ukraine in the process of manufacturing container-type containers. The properties of continuous basalt fibers are analyzed in comparison with glass fibers of the E-type and high-modulus fibers of the UM-31A type. The basic block diagrams of methods for the formation of basalt fibers are given and the areas of their use for the manufacture of composites based on polymer and inorganic binders are determined. A unified container made of glass-basalt composites for storing and transporting ammunition is presented. The technical and economic advantages of this container in comparison with standard wooden containers are shown. It has been determined that basalt fiber materials, composites and products based on them are commercial objects that require scientific and technical support through fundamental and applied research. Keywords: packaging, transportation, requirements, ammunition, plastic, storage.

Stabilizing a Si Anode via an Inorganic Oligomer Binder Enabled by Robust Polar Interfacial Interactions.

Exploiting macromolecule binders has been demonstrated as an effective approach to stabilize a Si anode with a huge volume change. The macromolecule polymer binders with vast intra/intermolecular interactions lead to an inferior dispersion of binders on a Si active material. Herein, a potassium triphosphate (PTP) inorganic oligomer was exploited as a robust binder to alleviate the problem of capacity fading in Si-based electrodes. PTP has abundant P-O- bonds and P═O bonds, which can form strong ion-dipolar and dipolar-dipolar forces with a hydroxylated Si surface (Si-OH). Particularly, the PTP inorganic oligomer has a short-chain structure and high water solubility, resulting in a superior dispersion of the PTP binder on Si nanoparticles (nano-Si) to effectively enhance the mechanical stability of Si-based electrodes. Hence, the as-prepared Si-based anode exhibits obviously improved electrochemical performance, delivering a charge capacity of 1279.7 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles at 800 mA g-1 with a high capacity retention of 72.7%. Moreover, using the PTP binder, a dense Si anode can be achieved for high volumetric energy density. The success of this study shows that the PTP inorganic oligomer as a binder has great significance for future advanced binder research.

Structure-Property Functions of Inorganic Chemical Binders for Refractories.

For refractory application, amongst others, inorganic chemical binders are used to shape and process loose, unpacked materials. The binder influences the chemical composition within the ceramic body during setting, aging and firing and thus the finally reached properties of the refractory material. For an effective design of tailored materials with required properties, the mode of action of the binder systems should carefully be investigated. A combination of both structure analysis techniques and macroscopic property investigations proved to be a powerful tool for a detailed description of structure–property correlations. This is shown on the basis of X-ray powder diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses combined with observation of (thermo)mechanical and chemical investigations.

Modeling of thermal stresses in thin-walled composite structures with phase transformation

An asymptotic theory modified version for calculating thin elastic multilayer plates made of high-temperature composites with multistage phase transformations, considering the composites shear characteristics finite values has been developed. Proposed in this work method version does not contain any assumptions about the kind of the unknown functions and allows ones to find all 6 stress tensor components while ensuring the high mathematical accuracy that symbolic for asymptotic method. Using the developed model, it became possible to calculate temperature non-stationary field and thermal stresses in thin multilayer plates of fabric composite materials on an inorganic binder. For material properties calculation were used multiscale averaging method and finite element modeling for periodical cells. Some change stresses numerical simulation results for composite plate during heating and loading are given.

Hygrothermal Behaviour of Inorganic Binder-Based Board Materials

Currently, the use of board materials as a material intended for the dry construction of building structure cladding in the building industry has become widespread. The most common types of board materials include wood-based boards (particle, fibre, laminated / plywood, oriented strand boards [OSB]), cement-bonded particleboards and gypsum plasterboards or gypsum fibre boards. In the case of board materials based on inorganic binders, these are most often represented by boards in which the fillers used are bonded by plaster or cement. Wood can then be used as filler, which is predominantly an assortment of inferior-quality trees or comes from a short rotation coppice, treated by various technological processes. Microstructure and material composition have the greatest influence on the physical and mechanical properties of the boards. The use of the boards in the internal or external environment is determined by their individual properties. Another indicator for the possible use of boards is the form of moisture with which the board comes into contact after installation into the structure. For the external environment, the boards have to withstand mainly liquid moisture; in contrast, in an internal environment, the boards come into contact mainly with air humidity. The diffusion properties of the individual products are also crucial for the overall design and use of the boards for structure cladding.

Large scale additive manufacturing of artificial stone components using binder jetting and their X-ray microtomography investigations

Additive manufacturing of large scale parts is an innovative, challenging research field, with the potential of producing parts with complex structures, specific functional and structural properties. In this study, binder jetting was employed using two different large scale printers to fabricate non-structural parts made of artificial stone. The printing bed was comprised of aggregates (River sand and Poraver expanded glass) and reactive magnesium oxide and potassium phosphate powders, which were activated by selectively depositing water, layer after layer. The exothermic reaction between reactive powders and water generates in situ a hydraulic inorganic binder, that binds the aggregates in the bed. The reaction parameters were controlled to achieve a fast setting, enabling rapid printing at the macro-scale (in the range of tens of centimeters or meters). The influence of the voxel size of the printers on the microstructure and printing quality of the fabricated parts, their physical and mechanical properties as well as the in situ formation of the cement phase were investigated by X-ray microtomography.

Research on improving comprehensive properties of a new sawdust composite insulation material by torrefaction

Preparing insulation materials from biomass waste is an economic and effective method of resource utilization. In this work, an eco-friendly sawdust composite insulation material was produced with its fire resistance improved by torrefying the biomass and adopting fireproof geopolymers as inorganic binders. Raw sawdust, as the fire-proof weakness, was torrefied to increase the ignition point before being added to the biomass composite insulation materials. With the increase of torrefaction temperature or residence time, the ignition point of the torrefied sawdust increased from 270 °C to 360 °C when the solid yield decreased from 95 % to 34 % For the sawdust composite insulation materials, the best comprehensive performance was achieved with the solid yield of torrefied sawdust being 60 %, and the corresponding values of thermal conductivity, density, and compression strength were 0.087 W/(m.K), 430.8 kg/m3 and 0.97 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, the composite insulation materials can maintain structural integrity under high-temperature flame spraying and obtain a satisfactory carbon sequestration capacity. Due to the advantages of environmental protection, high fire resistance, and low thermal conductivity, the torrefied sawdust composite insulation material has good application prospects in buildings.

A Comparative Analysis on Organic and Inorganic Core Binders for a Gravity Diecasting Al Alloy Component

The last two decades have seen a growing trend toward the use of inorganic binders in core making for the metalcasting field. Despite the health and environmental benefits of the inorganic binders, wider commercial use requires ongoing technical improvements to address some potential inherent limitations of this technology. Considering that inorganic cores can suffer from storage stability, this study sets out to check whether inorganic core binders are fit to replace organic ones in producing a gravity diecasting Al alloy component. First, the humidity resistance of both organic and inorganic sand cores, within a typical time-frame storage in the foundry, was evaluated by moisture absorption tests. Then, 3D optical measurements were performed to assess the relative dimensional changes of inorganic cores. Last, the influence of the core system was analyzed through microstructural and mechanical investigations on castings manufactured by using organic and inorganic binders. The experimental findings have shown that the moisture absorption during storage in the foundry warehouse, which lasted up to 14 days, was not enough to jeopardize the functionality of the cores. Furthermore, the tensile and microstructural outcomes revealed that inorganic cores could comply with both high component design requirements and even more stringent environmental regulations of foundries.