The photocatalytic activity of cement-sand plaster under the influence of natural solar radiation

Introduction. Concrete and cement composites can be considered as the most demanded and versatile building materials nowadays. Recently, photocatalytic building materials containing nano- and finely dispersed oxides and salts photocatalyst particles, especially titanium dioxide of anatase modification, are becoming widespread. Under the influence of light, the surface of these materials becomes capable of self-cleaning. The materials photocatalytic activity is usually determined in the laboratory conditions by irradiating samples with an artificial source of light with certain wavelength, which does not fully characterize the behavior of the material in real-life conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of cement-sand plaster samples under natural solar radiation. Materials and methods of research. In this study, the properties of cement-sand plaster modified with an additive of industrial TiO2 were studied. The additive was introduced into the plaster compositions in amounts of 0.3; 1.0; 1.7; 3.0; 5.0 and 10.0 wt.% during the dry mixing of the components. At the first stage, the effect of the additive on physical and mechanical properties of the samples was investigated. The second part of the research is devoted to the study of the photocatalytic properties of the material. Mineralization of the model pollutant Methylene blue was carried out in real-life conditions under sunlight irradiation, the photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated in accordance with the European standard UNI 11259-2016. Results and discussion. As a result of the study, the authors found that the maximal increase in compressive and flexural strength corresponds to the sample with 5.0 wt.% of TiO2, and the maximum degree of Methylene blue decomposition corresponds to the sample with 10.0 wt.% of TiO2. Thus, compressive strength increases by 69% at 2 days age, by 58% at 7 days age, and by 50% at 28 days age compared to the control sample. Flexural strength increases by 10, 13, and 50% at 2, 7, and 28 days age, respectively. The strength of the samples with 10.0 wt.% of TiO2 remains approximately at the level of the control sample. Compositions with TiO2 starting from 3 wt.% demonstrate photocatalytic activity (R), the highest R corresponds to 10 wt.% sample with R value is 40–78%. It is also noticeable that the maximum Methylene blue mineralization (58–78%) is observed after 2 days of sunlight irradiation, after 7 days there is a significant decrease in the degree of pigment decomposition. Conclusion. As a result of the research, the authors concluded that the optimal amount of TiO2 photocatalyst in the cement-sand plaster is 5.0–10.0 wt.% since these samples exhibit maximum strength characteristics combined with a high ability of model contaminant degradation.