Diplomsko delo zajema razvoj trajnostnega superhidrofobnega geopolimernega kompozita za izboljšanje funkcionalnosti tradicionalnih gradbenih materialov, kar je tudi njen namen. Za pripravo geopolimernih mešanic smo uporabili industrijske odpadke, ki imajo nižji ogljični odtis v primerjavi s portlandskim cementom, kot je na primer elektrofiltrski pepel. V eksperimentalnem delu smo pripravili štiri različne mešanice geopolimernega betona, ki smo jim dodajali različne količine polidimetilsiloksana in jih primerjali z referenčno mešanico. Površine vzorčnih materialov smo obdelali s superhidrofobnim premazom na osnovi polidimetilsiloksana, heksana in mikrodelcev (silicijev dioksid). Testirali smo mehanske lastnosti, kontaktne kote in mikrostrukturo površine. Rezultati so pokazali, da se z dodajanjem polidimetilsiloksana in nanosom premaza poveča kontaktni kot nad 150°, kar kaže na uspešno doseženo superhidrofobnost, medtem ko so tlačne trdnosti pri večjih deležih polidimetilsiloksana nekoliko nižje. SEM analiza je potrdila prisotnost hierarhičnih struktur, značilnih za Cassie-Baxterjev režim mokrenja. Rezultati zaključnega dela kažejo, da je z ustrezno kombinacijo materialov in kemikalij možno razviti geopolimerne betone z izboljšanimi funkcionalnostmi in visoko trajnostjo.
»The thesis covers the development of sustainable superhydrophobic geopolymer composite to improve the functionality of traditional construction materials, which is also its purpose. For the preparation of geopolymer mixtures, we used industrial waste with a lower carbon footprint compared to Portland cement, such as fly ash. In the experimental part, we prepared four different geopolymer concrete mixtures, to which we added various amounts of polydimethylsiloxane and compared them with a reference mixture. The surfaces of the sample materials were treated with a superhydrophobic coating based on polydimethylsiloxane, hexane and microparticles (silicon dioxide). We tested mechanical properties, contact angles and the microstructure of the surface. The results showed that the coating increased the contact angle above 150°, indicating successfully achieved superhydrophobicity, while the compressive strengths were slightly lower at higher proportions of polydimethylsiloxane. SEM analysis confirmed the presence of hierarchical structures characteristic of the Cassie-Baxter wetting regime. The final thesis demonstrates that with an appropriate combination of materials and chemicals, it is possible to develop geopolymer concretes with improved functionalities and high durability.”
