An SGER award supports development of an inorganic, self-cleaning coating for infrastructure applications. The coating binder is based on geopolymer compositions and the pigments will be photocatalytic oxides. The coating is expected to be self-cleaning due to the photocatalytic effect and to also help reduce nitrous oxides and eliminate biological agents, which deposit on the surface. The award supports laboratory testing of various coating compositions for their efficiency in reducing nitrous oxides as well as in situ longer-term testing of the durability and appearance of the coating when applied to two highway structures, one in Maryland and one in New Jersey.
