Influence of Untreated Metal Waste from 3D Printing on Electrical Properties of Alkali-Activated Slag Mortars

Lukáš Fiala, Michaela Petříková, Martin Keppert, Martin Böhm, Jaroslav Pokorný and Robert Černý
Additional contact information
Lukáš Fiala: Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7/2077, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic
Michaela Petříková: Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7/2077, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic
Martin Keppert: Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7/2077, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic
Martin Böhm: Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7/2077, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic
Jaroslav Pokorný: Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, Okružní 517/10, 370 01 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Robert Černý: Department of Materials Engineering and Chemistry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7/2077, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: The negative environmental impact of cement production emphasizes the need to use alternative binders for construction materials. Alkali-activated slag is a more environmentally friendly candidate which can be utilized in the design of mortars with favorable material properties. However, the electrical properties of such materials are generally poor and need to be optimized by various metallic or carbon-based admixtures to gain new sophisticated material functions, such as self-sensing, self-heating, or energy harvesting. This paper investigates the influence of waste metal powder originating from the 3D printing process on the material properties of alkali-activated slag mortars. The untreated metal powder was characterized by means of XRD and SEM/EDS analyses revealing high nickel content, which was promising in terms of gaining self-heating function due to the high electrical conductivity and stability of nickel in a highly alkaline environment. The designed mortars with the waste metal admixture in the amount up to 250 wt.% to the slag and aggregates were then characterized in terms of basic physical, thermal, and electrical properties. Compared to the reference mortar, the designed mortars were of increased porosity of 17–32%. The thermal conductivity of ~1–1.1 W/m·K was at a favorable level for self-heating. However, the electrical conductivity of ~10 −6 S/m was insufficient to allow the generation of the Joule heat. Even though a high amount of 3D printing waste could be used due to the good workability of mixtures, its additional treatment will be necessary to achieve reasonable, effective electrical conductivity of mortars resulting in self-heating function.

Keywords: alkali-activated slag mortar; 3D printing waste; electrical properties (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/23/8178/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/23/8178/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:23:p:8178-:d:696052

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().