Transportation causes major emissions of harmful gases and volatile organic compounds into the air. These pollutants may travel long distances to produce secondary pollution, such as acid rain, which threatens vegetation and the durability of concrete infrastructure. Concrete exposed to atmospheric pollutants and/or deicing salts is at high risk of rebar corrosion and thus may fail prematurely. To address these environmental and concrete durability issues, this project is developing a new, multifunctional cementitious concrete coating based on the synergistic activities of photocatalytic titanium oxide (TiO2), layered double hydroxides (LDHs), and synthetic microcapsules. The project will synthesize and characterize the TiO2-impregnated LDH composite materials and microcapsules, both of which will be used as the main components of a multifunctional cementitious coating. Researchers will then conduct a performance evaluation of the newly developed coating by analyzing its air-purifying, corrosion resistance, and self-healing properties.
Principal Investigator: Zhengxian Yang, Civil and Environmental Engineering, WSU
Sponsor: Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates
Scheduled completion: July 2018