Sebastiano Candamano

Binders alternative to Portland cement and waste management for sustainable construction—part 1:

This review presents “a state of the art” report on sustainability in construction materials. The authors propose different solutions to make the concrete industry more environmentally friendly in order to reduce greenhouse gases emissions and consumption of non-renewable resources. Part 1—the present paper—focuses on the use of binders alternative to Portland cement, including sulfoaluminate cements, alkali-activated materials, and geopolymers. Part 2 will be dedicated to traditional Portland-free binders and waste management and recycling in mortar and concrete production.

Experimental Comparison of the MIG and Friction Stir Welding Processes for AA 6005 Aluminium Alloy

In this study, the mechanical properties of welded joints of AA 6005 aluminum alloy obtained with friction stir welding (FSW) and conventional metal inert gas welding (MIG) are studied. FSW welds were carried out on a semi-automatic milling machine. The performance of FSW and MIG welded joints were identified using tensile and bending impact tests, as far as the environmental aspects are also included in the discussion. The joints obtained with FSW and MIG processes were also investigated in their microstructure. The results indicate that, the microstructure of the friction stir weld is different from that of MIG welded joint. The weld nugget consists of small grains in FSW than those found in MIG weld. Taking into consideration the process conditions and requirements, FSW and MIG processes were also compared with each other to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the processes for welding applications of studied Al alloy. Better tensile and bending strength were obtained with FSW welded joints.

Molecularly Imprinted Microrods via Mesophase Polymerization

The aim of the present research work was the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with a rod-like geometry via “mesophase polymerization”. The ternary lyotropic system consisting of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), water, and decanol was chosen to prepare a hexagonal mesophase to direct the morphology of the synthesized imprinted polymers using theophylline, methacrylic acid, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a drug model template, a functional monomer, and a crosslinker, respectively. The obtained molecularly imprinted microrods (MIMs) were assessed by performing binding experiments and in vitro release studies, and the obtained results highlighted good selective recognition abilities and sustained release properties. In conclusion, the adopted synthetic strategy involving a lyotropic mesophase system allows for the preparation of effective MIPs characterized by a rod-like morphology.

Tensile and Direct Shear Responses of Basalt-Fibre Reinforced Mortar Based Materials

In recent years basalt fabric reinforced cementitious composites have attracted great attention because they result to be effective in structural strengthening and cost/environment efficient. Nevertheless, their mechanical performances are still under investigation in order to provide reliable values of mechanical parameters for design purposes. This study is, thus, focused on deepening the knowledge of this type of inorganic matrix composite. In particular, the influence of the bonded lengths, the interaction matrix/fabric and the stress-transfer mechanisms have been investigated by single-lap direct shear tests performed on FRCM strengthened masonry prisms. Moreover, the tensile response has been evaluated and the constitutive behaviour identified by means of direct tensile tests.

Optimization of zeolite Y synthesis using industrial reagents by seeding technique

The present work is devoted to optimize Y-type zeolite synthesis process using industrial raw materials. X-ray diffraction, SEM, NMR, TG/DTA and EDAX analyses were used to study Y-type zeolite synthesis using different molar compositions and crystallized seeds addiction. The use of seeded systems strongly affects the crystallization rate and prevents from the formation of P zeolite impurities.