Effect of Curing Period on Photocatalytic Effect of TiO₂ Nanotubes-reinforced Cement Paste

양생기간이 TiO₂ 나노튜브 보강 시멘트 페이스트의 광촉매 효과에 미치는 영향

With the development of nano-reinforcement technology and the increasing concern for environmental issues, TiO₂ nanomaterials have received wide attention as an additive besides carbon nanomaterials that can be used to enhance the mechanical properties of cement-based materials. Also, TiO₂-based materials can allow cement-baned materials with photocatalytic capability, providing a potentially effective approach to reduce environmental problems. In this work, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and degradation of methylene blue solution were used as target to assess the effect of TiO₂ nanotubes on the mechanical strength and photocatalytic effect of hardened cement paste at different curing time. According to the strength results, the optimum amount of TiO₂ was identified as 0.5% of the weight of cement. Meanwhile, the TiO₂ nanotubes-reinforced specimen exhibited better photocatalytic effect in the early stage of curing.