Improvement of concrete durability using nanocomposite coating prepared by mixing epoxy coating with Submicron/Nano-carbon obtained from heavy fuel oil ash

• Published in: Construction & building materials 2022-03, Vol.325, p.126812, Article 126812
• Main Authors: Basha, Shaik Inayath, Aziz, Md. Abdul, Ahmad, Shamsad, Al-Zahrani, Mesfer M., Shameem, Mohammed, Maslehuddin, Mohammed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acid attack; Chloride diffusion; Composite epoxy resin coating; Concrete; Heavy fuel oil ash; Submicron/Nano-carbon particles; Sulfate attack
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126812

•Submicron/nano (S/N) carbon particles were prepared by processing the heavy fuel oil ash.•The composite epoxy coatings were prepared by mixing the neat epoxy with the S/N carbon particles in different dosages.•As compared to the neat epoxy coating, the composite epoxy coatings showed much better performance in improving the durability of concrete. The paper presents the effectiveness of epoxy resin coatings modified with heavy fuel oil ash (HFOA) submicron/nano (S/N) carbon particles in enhancing concrete durability. HFOA, a waste material generated from the combustion of heavy fuel oil in power plants, was pyrolyzed and ball- milled for the preparation of S/N carbon particles, which were mixed with neat epoxy at different weight percentages for developing composite coating. Performance of S/N carbon was evaluated against chloride, acidic and sulfate exposures. Adhesion of the coatings to concrete substrate was also evaluated using the pull-off strength test. The experimental data demonstrated that the performance of composite coating with 1% of S/N carbon was the best in resisting the chloride ions penetration, acid and sulfate attacks, and for increasing the bond strength. The uniformly distributed S/N carbon functioned as a barrier to the passage of moisture/aggressive species reaching the concrete surface, thereby enhancing the concrete durability.