Photocatalytic Cement Mortar with Durable Self-Cleaning Performance

Nano-TiO2-modified mortars are fabricated by introducing TiO2 nanoparticles to the conventional mortar mix with designed mixing and curing procedures. It was found that additional TiO2 nanoparticles can accelerate hydration and improve the air void distribution in the mortar matrix. The experiments also showed that 0.5 wt.% and 1 wt.% TiO2-modified mortar has a comparable mechanical strength to traditional cement mortar. The abrasion resistance is improved with nanoparticles at 0.5 wt.% TiO2 concentration. The photocatalytic performance of photocatalytic mortar was confirmed by a methylene blue decomposition test. Finally, a multi-physics computational model was constructed to assess the effects of photocatalytic mortar coated on building in air quality improvements in the neighboring area. The benefits are affected by different nano-TiO2 concentrations, as well as wind conditions in the neighborhood. Overall, this study shows that properly designed nano-TiO2-modified mortar is promising to achieve multifunctional performance in terms of mechanical strength and durability as well as autogenous self-cleaning of surrounding environment.