Durability of Mortars with Fly Ash Subject to Freezing and Thawing Cycles and Sulfate Attack

Destruction of cement composites occurs due to the alternate or simultaneous effects of aggressive media, resulting in the destruction of concrete under the influence of chemical and physical factors. This article presents the results of changes in the measurement of linear strains of samples and changes in the microstructure of cement after 30 freezing and thawing cycles and immersed in 5% sodium sulfate solution. The compressive strengths ratios were carried out at the moment when the samples were moved to the sulfate solution after 30 cycles and at the end of the study when the samples showed visual signs of damage caused by the effect of 5% Na2SO4. The composition of the mixtures was selected based on the Gibbs triangle covering the area up to 40% replacement of Portland cement with low and high-calcium fly ashes or their mixture. Air-entrained and non-air entrained mortars were made of OPC, in which 20%, 26.6%, and 40% of Portland cement were replaced with low and/or high-calcium fly ash. Initial, freezing and thawing cycles accelerated the destruction of non- air-entrained cement mortars immersed in 5% sodium sulfate solution. The sulfate resistance, after the preceding frost damage, decreased along with the increase in the amount of replaced fly ash in the binder. Air-entrained mortars in which 20% of cement was replaced with high-calcium fly ash showed the best resistance to the action of sodium sulfate after 30 freezing and thawing cycles.

Composite C/MnO2 electrodes for electrochemical capacitors based on water electrolyte

The electrochemical properties of C/MnO2 composite materials in 1 M sodium sulfate solution were investigated using the methods of cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and impedance spectroscopy. It was shown that the capacitive characteristics of the electrodes depend on the nature and the method of obtaining manganese oxide nanoparticles. It was established that the material containing manganese oxide obtained using isoamyl alcohol as a reducing agent has high electrochemical characteristics.

Possibilities of Using Pumice Concrete as Thermal Insulation Lining of Industrial Chimneys

This paper deals with the possibility of using pumice concrete as thermal insulation lining of industrial chimneys. Two formulas were prepared, the first from sulphate resistant cement and the second as a reference mixture from Cem I 42.5R. The thermal insulating properties of the prepared recipes will be evaluated as well as the resistance to the action of sulphates in 5 % sodium sulphate solution. No significant decrease in strength was observed when samples were stored in 5% sodium sulfate solution for 60 days. Only the reference series reported a significant unexpected decrease in strength.

The Resistance of New Kind of High-Strength Cement after 5 Years Exposure to Sulfate Solution

This article deals with the determination of technically important properties, the recognition of microstructure and pore structure, and the mortar resistance of a new cement kind NONRIVAL CEM I 52.5 N containing 7.94% wt. of C3A to 5% sodium sulfate solution. Both reference types of cement were industrially manufactured: 1) ordinary Portland cement CEM I 42.5 R and 2) Portland cement CEM I 42.5 R – SR 0, declared as sulfate resistant because of C3A = 0%. The research was carried out at standardized mortars. The used sodium sulfate solution, which contained 33802.8 mg of aggressive SO4 2− per liter, exceeded approximately 5 to 10 times the concentration of the third degree of aggressiveness of the XA chemical environment according to STN EN 206 + A1. The reference medium was drinking water. The 5-year results of non-destructive and destructive physical-mechanical tests as well as the formed microstructure and pore structure in both liquid media were evaluated. The cause of the NONRIVAL CEM I 52.5 N sulfate resistance was explained, despite the manufacturer’s declared C3A content of up to 8% by weight. Sulfate resistance of NONRIVAL CEM I 52.5 N is found comparable to that of sulfate resistant CEM I 42.5 R – SR 0.

Modification of large area Cu2O/CuO photocathode with CuS non-noble catalyst for improved photocurrent and stability

In this work, a three-layered heterostructure Cu2O/CuO/CuS was obtained through a low-cost and large-area fabrication route comprising electrodeposition, thermal oxidation, and reactive annealing in a sulfur atmosphere. Morphological, microstructural, and compositional analysis (AFM, SEM, XRD, EDS, XPS) were carried out to highlight the surface modification of cuprous oxide film after oxidation and subsequent sulfurization. Impedance, voltammetric, and amperometric photoelectrochemical tests were performed on Cu2O, Cu2O/CuO, and Cu2O/CuO/CuS photocathodes in a sodium sulfate solution (pH 5), under 100 mW cm−2 AM 1.5 G illumination. A progressive improvement in terms of photocurrent and stability was observed after oxidation and sulfurization treatments, reaching a maximum of − 1.38 mA cm−2 at 0 V versus RHE for the CuS-modified Cu2O/CuO electrode, corresponding to a ~ 30% improvement. The feasibility of the proposed method was demonstrated through the fabrication of a large area photoelectrode of 10 cm2, showing no significant differences in characteristics if compared to a small area photoelectrode of 1 cm2.

Deterioration Regularity of Sodium Sulfate Solution Attack on Cemented Coal Gangue-Fly Ash Backfill under Drying-Wetting Cycles

To research the properties of cemented coal gangue-fly ash backfill (CGFB) exposed to different concentrations of sodium sulfate solutions under drying-wetting cycles, the mass changes, uniaxial compressive strengths, sulfate ion contents at different depths, and microstructures of CGFB samples were measured in this study. The results show that the CGFB samples were damaged by salt crystallization in the dry state and attacked by the expansive products in the wet state. The sulfate ion contents in CGFB samples increased with the sulfate concentrations and drying-wetting cycles and decreased from the surface to the inside of the samples. The damage process of CGFB samples evolved from the surface to the inside. In the early stage of corrosion, sulfate ions adsorbed to the surface of CGFB samples and consumed nonhydrated particles to form acicular ettringite and other products that filled the material pores. For this stage, the driving force of sulfate ions to enter into the CGFB samples was the highest for the samples immersed in 15% sodium sulfate solution, and the masses and strengths increased the fastest. As the drying-wetting cycles continued, the nonhydrated particles inside the samples were nearly completely hydrated, and the samples were constantly damaged by salt crystallization and dissolution. The corrosion ions entered into the samples and consumed portlandite to produce a large amount of prismatic ettringite and aggravated the internal corrosion of CGFB samples. At the fifteenth drying-wetting cycle, the higher the salt concentration of the immersion solution was, the faster the masses and the strengths of CGFB samples decreased. Moreover, the surface spalling and failure of CGFB samples were more severe.