Hydration accelerator and photocatalyst of nanotitanium dioxide synthesized via surfactant-assisted method in cement mortar

摘要： To develop TiO2-based cement materials, the effect of TiO2 on the cement hydration and photocatalytic reaction should be investigated. The phase, size and shape of TiO2 are important factors for better understanding its application in cement. TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by a surfactant-assisted, reverse micelle method to control phase, size and shape by three selected surfactants namely: sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and TritonX-100. The synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM for observation of phase, size and shape. The modified micro structures of admixed cements with the different synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles incorporated were also examined by SEM. Particularly, the hydration process and photocatalytic reaction of the cement mixture were evaluated by heat flow calorimetry and methylene blue (MB) degradation, respectively. Results showed that anatase-rich and smaller size TiO2 nanoparticles provided accelerated cement hydration and the ability to degrade MB photocatalytically at the surface of admixed-TiO2 cement.