Influence of Moist Curing on Solar Reflectance of Mortars Coated with White Pigments
摘要
Moist curing, i.e., hydration of Portland cement, increases strength, reduces porosity, and improves the overall quality of concrete. The literature reports changes in spectral reflectance caused by the moist curing process that have not been thoroughly explored. Previous research has focused on gray cement-based materials, such as concrete and cement paste samples, but has lacked reports of their effects on coated samples. This paper investigates the effects of moist curing on the solar reflectance of mortars coated with white pigments. Spectral reflectance measurements were conducted on samples (60 x 60 x 11 mm) coated with titanium dioxide rutile, zinc oxide, and a commercial white pigment (white 6) at concentrations of 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20%. The solar reflectance increased with the moist curing process and varied in function of pigment type and concentration. The highest increases observed for titanium dioxide and white 6 were 0.02 and 0.16, respectively, at 1% pigment concentration. In contrast, zinc oxide achieved the greatest increase (0.17) at 20% pigment concentration, and its solar reflectance improved from 0.64 to 0.81, thus being comparable to that of titanium dioxide (0.80) and white 6 (0.80) at the same pigment concentration. The moist curing process affected the solar reflectance of white pigment-coated mortar samples and can significantly enhance the solar reflectance of cement-based materials coated with low covering power pigment, such as zinc oxide. Economic impacts should be investigated, and weathering tests are required towards the understanding of the long-term effects of moist curing.