Effect of titanium dioxide on engineering properties and photocatalytic performance of silica fume-based concrete
摘要
The study investigates the influence of titanium dioxide (TiO2) on silica fume blended concrete, where the cement is replaced with both TiO2 and silica fume. A fixed 10% silica fume and titanium dioxide (TiO2) at a range between 2–5% are incorporated across all concrete. The study assessed workability, compressive strength water absorption, shrinkage and Rhodamine B (RhB) discolouration of the concretes. The concrete is exposed to sunlight exposure for 5 hours. Overall, the findings suggest that the silica fume blended concrete with 2% TiO2 had a higher strength compared to other concretes. Furthermore, the strength of concrete is higher than the minimum strength specified by standard for structural element application. A combination effect between silica fume blended concrete and incorporation of TiO2 showed a pore refinement and a denser concrete microstructure. Also, the results show that the photocatalytic effectiveness is obtained by all concrete incorporated TiO2. Furthermore, the use of silica fume compensates the effect of cement reduction and the incorporation of TiO2. Hence, the finding suggested the concrete incorporated with TiO2 has a potential to be used in construction application and an eco-friendly construction material, which is a viable option for lowering the maintenance issue and sustainable construction applications.