Nanosilica-modified, fluorine-containing polyacrylate hybrid coating materials, consisting of dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate (2-EHA), 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (KH-570), and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), are synthesized successfully by free radical polymerization and the sol–gel process. It is revealed that the content of the fluorine-containing polyacrylate hybrid coating materials from DFMA monomers significantly improves the properties of the films. The polyacrylate coating film prepared with a weight ratio of DFMA/MMA at 1:5 exhibits the largest water contact angle of 105.4°, which demonstrates that DFMA can effectively improve the hydrophobicity of the coating film. Moreover, the silicon coupling agent (KH-570) is used to graft silica with acrylate. Spherical in shape, the surface morphology of the nanohybrid film exhibits a core–shell structure, which increases the surface roughness and enhances the hydrophobic properties. The as-prepared fluorine-containing nanohybrid silica polyacrylate film possesses a high transmittance of 89–97% in the visible light region, indicating its potential as a very attractive solution in many practical areas.

The recycling of waste materials has become an important topic worldwide. Wastes can be effectively used in concrete to improve its characteristics. This study aimed to research cement mortar’s physical properties, mechanical properties, and durability. In a cement mortar with a fixed water-to-binder ratio (W/B) of 0.5, waste polyethylene (PE) was added at sand volume ratios of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%. Cement was replaced with 0%, 10%, and 20% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). The results showed that the slump and flow of mortar tended to decline as the added amount of waste PE increased, but they also increased with the increased replaced amount of GGBFS. The setting time of mortar was shortened as the waste PE increased but delayed as the amount of GGBFS increased. In terms of mechanical properties, the compressive strength of mortar declined as the replaced amount of waste PE increased. Using the GGBFS to replace part of the cement can improve the later mortar strength. This study found that when the added waste PE was within 2% and the replacement amount of GGBFS was 10%, the goal of recycling waste was reached most effectively, while maintaining the concrete’s mechanical properties.

In this study, the desulfurization slag used the volume method to replace fine natural aggregates in controllable low-strength materials (CLSM); the desulfurization slag content (DS) and curing time (t) were used as variables to test the compressive strength and surface resistivity of CLSM and simulated a prediction model on the results. The test results showed during that the compressive strength on the 28th day, the average desulfurization slag replacement amount increased by 10%, and the compressive strength decreased by 0.9 MPa. The surface resistivity increases with age, and each ratio increases from seven days to 28 days, and the surface resistivity value increases from 9.3% to 20.6%. After that, a hyperbolic function and exponential function with multiple variables were used to establish a simulation model of the effects of the DS content and curing time on the compressive strength and surface resistivity of CLSM. Compared with the test results, the statistical analysis shows that the average absolute percentage error (MAPE) of the compressive strength is 9.17%, and the surface resistivity is 10.67%. From the results, the predictive analysis model developed in this paper provides good predictive results in terms of compressive strength and surface resistivity.

Wastes can be effectively used in concrete and the characteristics of concrete can be maintained or enhanced, the economy of waste management can be greatly increased, and the pollution of the earth can be reduced. This study aimed to research the durability of cement mortar prepared using different W/B ratios and different percentages of waste PE content. The cement mortar was mixed with 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% waste PE and 20% ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) in W/B ratios of 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6. The results sw that the slump and flow decrease as the waste PE content is increased and increase with increasing W/B ratio, and the setting time is shortened as the waste PE content is increased. In terms of hardened properties, the specimen strength is slightly decreased as the waste PE content is increased, but the hardened properties are better at a later age due to the pozzolanic reaction of slag, which can be verified by microscopic SEM.

Cement mortar can be colored using color additive technology to give colorful facades to the surfaces of buildings, and to beautify the environment. In this study, weight ratios of color powder/cement at 1:80, 1:40, and 1:27, and polyacrylic emulsion/cement at a ratio of 1:5 were added as pigments to cement mortar; the fresh properties, slump, slump flow, hardened properties, compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, durability, surface electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of the colored cement mortar were then examined. The results showed that adding color powder/cement at 1:80 and polyacrylic emulsion/cement at 1:5 gives the best water/cement (W/C) ratio, which equals 0.5; this can effectively improve the hardness and durability of colored cement mortar. At 28 days of aging, the strength of the various colored cement mortars was maintained at 33.1–36.8 MPa. The acrylic-based emulsion significantly improved the flexural strength of the specimen. At 91 days of aging, all of the cement mortars exceeded the control group, with an anti-bay strength of 19.9–21.7 MPa, and the strength increased with aging. Adding appropriate amounts of inorganic color powder and mixing water can effectively enhance the fresh and hardened properties and durability of the colored cement mortar, while polyacrylic emulsion may significantly improve the test pieces and flexural strength, which increases with age. Moreover, natural α-Fe₂O₃ (rust layer) is formed on the surface of the colored cement mortar samples through the addition of inorganic color powder that contains Fe(III) ion; this prevents the intrusion of noxious ions and thus increases the durability. All of the test pieces of colored cement mortar in this study had a surface resistance of over 20 kΩ-cm on the seventh day of the test period, meaning good surface compactness. In addition, because the thermal conductivity of the added inorganic color powder was higher than that of cement, the thermal conductivity was significantly improved.

This study presents an innovative approach for the utilization of industrial by-products and municipal waste in the production of sustainable and environmentally friendly cement mortar. We explored stabilized stainless-steel reduced slag (SSRS) and polyethylene (PE) plastic waste as partial replacements for aggregates. Various engineering properties of the resulting cement mortar specimens, including the slump, slump flow, compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, water absorption, and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), were investigated through comprehensive experimental tests. The influence of different water–cement (w/c) or water–binder (w/b) ratios and substitution amounts on the engineering properties of the cement mortar samples was thoroughly examined. The findings revealed that an increase in PE substitution adversely affected the overall workability of the cement mortar mixtures, whereas an increase in the SSRS amount contributed to enhanced workability. As for the hardened properties, a consistent trend was observed in both cases, with higher w/c or w/b ratios and substitution amounts leading to reduced mechanical properties. Water absorption and UPV test results validated the increased formation of porosity with higher w/c or w/b ratios and substitution amounts. This study proposes a promising method to effectively repurpose industrial by-products and municipal waste, transforming them into sustainable construction and building materials. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the transportation costs and carbon footprint emissions between SSRS–cement mortar and PE–cement mortar was conducted to assess their environmental impact and sustainability. Generally, higher w/c or w/b ratios and replacement levels corresponded with a reduced carbon footprint. The geographical location of the source of SSRS and PE remains a challenge and studies to overcome this challenge must be further explored.