Functional Materials Based on Active Carbon and Titanium Dioxide in Fog Seal

• Published in: Materials 2020-11, Vol.13 (22), p.5267
• Main Authors: He, Chuan, Xiao, Qingyi, Gong, Fangyuan, Yang, Yun, Ren, Xipeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Asphalt; Asphalt pavements; Carbon; Composite materials; Concrete pavements; Coupling agents; Decomposition; Dispersion; Efficiency; Engineering; Environmental quality; Experiments; Functional materials; Glass; Hydrocarbons; Nitrogen dioxide; Nitrogen oxides; Pendulum skid testing; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Relative humidity; Roads; Skid resistance; Titanium; Titanium dioxide
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma13225267

Due to its ability to degrade nitrogen oxides under ultraviolet, titanium dioxide has been applied in asphalt concrete to degrade automobile exhaust in recent years. To highlight the protection of road traffic environmental quality and mitigate automobile exhaust on human health, this study proposes combining titanium dioxide and active carbon into Sand-fog seal to form a pavement coating material with a photocatalytic function. It uses active carbon to reinforce the material’s function, and the coupling agent for modification makes it well dispersed in the Sand-fog seal. The indoor experiments were carried out at 30 °C and relative humidity of 30%. It tested the composite material’s degradation efficiency on nitrogen dioxide in relation to component proportions, coupling agents, and dosages. The study concluded that the optimal photocatalytic efficiency could be achieved when the ratio of active carbon to titanium dioxide is 0.6. After being modified by the titanate coupling agent and through Scanning Electron Microscope tests, it can be seen that materials can be well dispersed into the Sand-fog seal. When the composite material accounts for 10% of the fog seal, it can achieve the optimal photocatalytic efficiency of about 23.9%. The British pendulum tests show it has good skid resistance performance. Half a kilometer of concrete roadway was sprayed with the material coating in Tianjin, China. The photocatalytic experimental road degrades nitrogen oxides better than the original road. The method is feasible for practical implementation.