Durability of Green Concrete in Severe Environment

In this paper,the effects of different mineral admixtures and sulfate solution types on the appearance,mass change rate,relative dynamic elastic modulus,and corrosion resistance coefficient of concrete were systematically studied.X-ray Diffraction(XRD),Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry(MIP),Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM),and X-ray Computed Tomography(X-CT)were used to explore and analyze the changes in the microstructure and the corrosion products of concrete in the sulfate solution.The results show that the existence of magnesium ions accelerates concrete deterioration.There is a critical dosage of fly ash for magnesium sulfate resistance of concrete.The magnesium sulfate resistance of concrete is improved when the fly ash content is less than 20%.Slag can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of concrete to magnesium sulfate.The diffusion of sulfate ions into concrete is a gradual process.In the early stages of corrosion,sulfate ion content in the concrete immersed in the magnesium sulfate solution is slightly less than that of the concrete immersed in the sodium sulfate solution.However,in the later stage of corrosion,the sulfate ion content in the concrete immersed in the magnesium sulfate solution is significantly higher than that of the concrete immersed in the sodium sulfate solution.

Role of ball milling during Cs/X catalyst preparation and effects on catalytic performance in side-chain alkylation of toluene with methanol

Ball milling modification was performed on Cs/X catalysts before or after cesium ion exchange.Multiple characterization results(such as pyridine-FTIR,XPS,and solid-state NMR)demonstrated that ball milling played a distinct role in these two different preparation procedures of the catalyst.Ball milling performed after the cesium modification has a strong influence on the Cs/X structure and acid-base properties,which results in the enhancement of the catalytic performance for side-chain methylation of toluene with methanol.Detailed studies revealed that ball milling intensified the interactions between oxides and molecular sieves,which not only increased the dispersion of the Cs species but also generated some weaker basic centers.It is proposed that the new basic centers could be Si-O-Cs and Al-O-Cs,which are produced by breaking of the Si-O-Al bonds of the zeolite framework under the synergetic effect of ball milling and alkali treatment.These new active sites may help to promote the side-chain methylation reaction.However,excessive ball milling will lead to the vanishing of zeolite micropores,thus deactivating side-chain methylation activity,which indicates that microporosity plays a key role in side-chain methylation and individual basic centers cannot catalyze this reaction.

Bond behavior of the interface between concrete and basalt fiber reinforced polymer bar after freeze–thaw cycles

The shear bond of interface between concrete and basalt fiber reinforced polymer(BFRP)bars during freeze–thaw(F–T)cycles is crucial for the application of BFRP bar-reinforced concrete structures in cold regions.In this study,48 groups of pull-out specimens were designed to test the shear bond of the BFRP-concrete interface subjected to F–T cycles.The effects of concrete strength,diameter,and embedment length of BFRP rebar were investigated under numerous F–T cycles.Test results showed that a larger diameter or longer embedment length of BFRP rebar resulted in lower interfacial shear bond behavior,such as interfacial bond strength,initial stiffness,and energy absorption,after the interface goes through F–T cycles.However,higher concrete strength and fewer F–T cycles were beneficial for enhancing the interfacial bond behavior.Subsequently,a three-dimensional(3D)interfacial model based on the finite element method was developed,and the interfacial bond behavior of the specimens was analyzed in-depth.Finally,a degradation bond strength subjected to F–T cycles was predicted by a proposed mechanical model.The predictions were fully consistent with the tested results.The model demonstrated accuracy in describing the shear bond behavior of the interface under numerous F–T cycles.

Direct synthesis of carbon nanotubes on fly ash particles to produce carbon nanotubes/fly ash composites

Fly ash was used as catalytic support for carbon nanotubes(CNTs)growth by chemical vapor deposition(CVD)due to having ideal compositions(SiO2,Al2O3,and Fe2O3).In this paper,CNTs were synthesized on Ni catalyst/fly ash substrate using CVD method.The influence of parameters(e.g.,reaction temperature and gas flow rate)on the carbon yield and structure of the resulting CNTs was on the carbon yield and structure of the resulting CNTs was investigated by thermo-gravimetric analyses,Scanning electron microscopy,and Raman spectroscopy analysis.The results indicated that the growth temperature controlling had a significant effect on the diameter of CNTs.And the proper acetylene and hydrogen flow rate would decrease in defect density and increase in yield of as-grown CNTs on fly ash.Finally,the amorphous carbon on the surface of as-grown CNTs were removed by heating in air.Experimental results showed that the hydrophobic of the annealed CNTs was weak due to introducing functional groups to the surface of CNTs.