Recently, as air pollution problems such as fine particulate matter have intensified, there is an urgent need to establish countermeasures to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) emitted from vehicles, which are a major source of ultrafine particles generat...
Recently, as air pollution problems such as fine particulate matter have intensified, there is an urgent need to establish countermeasures to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) emitted from vehicles, which are a major source of ultrafine particles generated along roadways. Accordingly, the necessity for effective particulate matter mitigation strategies in large open infrastructures such as roads and tunnels has been increasing. Although photocatalytic technologies have been actively introduced into social infrastructure, conventional ordinary Portland cement has inherent limitations due to its dark gray color, which absorbs light and consequently reduces photocatalytic efficiency.
As an alternative to overcome these limitations, magnesium phosphate composites have attracted considerable attention owing to their high whiteness, superior optical performance, and rapid-setting characteristics. Therefore, this study selected a magnesium phosphate composite with excellent whiteness, rapid-setting behavior, and high strength as a binder, aiming to derive the optimal mortar mix design that maximizes photocatalytic efficiency and to evaluate its engineering and optical performances.
First, to evaluate the intrinsic properties of the binder while excluding the influence of fine aggregates, standard sand was used as the fine aggregate, and the magnesium-to-phosphate ratio (M/P) and water-to-binder ratio (W/B) were set as experimental variables. Both engineering and optical properties were examined. The results showed that as the M/P ratio increased, the setting time was significantly shortened due to the increased specific surface area of magnesia participating in the reaction. In contrast, lower M/P ratios exhibited higher compressive strength and superior transmittance in the visible light region. Based on these results, the W30–P2.5 mix was determined as the optimal binder composition.
Subsequently, natural fine aggregate and dolomitic silica sand were applied to the optimized binder to comparatively analyze the effects of aggregate type and aggregate content on mortar performance. The mortar containing natural fine aggregate exhibited satisfactory flowability; however, due to the inherently dark color of the aggregate, the reflectance was limited to a maximum of approximately 56%. Conversely, the mortar incorporating dolomitic silica sand showed slightly reduced flowability owing to its angular particle shape, but achieved significantly higher reflectance exceeding 68% in the visible light region. This improvement was attributed to the high whiteness of the aggregate, which suppressed light absorption and induced diffuse reflection. In particular, the S90 W40 mix using dolomitic silica sand achieved a 28-day compressive strength of 42.64 MPa, ensuring structural stability while exhibiting excellent optical performance.
Furthermore, experiments incorporating photo-responsive pigments into the optimal S90–W40 mix revealed that physical behaviors varied depending on pigment color and type. Setting time and flowability showed distinct trends according to pigment color: Pink-series pigments reduced setting time and flowability, whereas Blue and Purple-series pigments increased setting time and secured higher flowability.
In terms of strength development, single pigments contributed to strength enhancement by acting as fillers that filled internal pores of the matrix, while mixtures of different pigments led to strength reduction due to weakened bonding. Regarding optical performance, the incorporation of pigments generally enhanced reflectance in the visible light region.
Overall, the magnesium phosphate composite mortar incorporating dolomitic silica sand demonstrated significantly superior reflectance performance and adequate engineering properties compared to conventional cement-based mortars. These results indicate that the proposed material can effectively enhance light utilization efficiency and maximize photocatalytic reactions when applied to social infrastructure such as urban roads and tunnels, where particulate matter mitigation is critically required