Building principles of Ohrid vernacular architecture and contemporary strategies for sustainable design and construction.

Овај рад се бави анализом градитељских принципа примењиваних у охридској вернакуларној архитектури који су релевантни за савремену теорију и праксу одрживог пројектовања и грађења. Термин охридска вернакуларна архитектура се односи на традиционалну стамбену архитектуру града Охрида. Предмет рада су одрживе стратегије грађења и одабир материјала примењени код охридске вернакуларне архитектуре, то јест градске куће оријенталног типа саграђене у Охриду од 18. до почетка 20. века. Основни циљ истраживања јесте да се документовано и научно аргументовано утврди и објасни да охридска традиционална кућа, као регионални представник шире балканске вернакуларне архитектуре из отоманског периода, поседује инкорпориране принципе и стратегије савременог одрживог пројектовања и грађења...This research analyses the building principles applied in the examples of Ohrid vernacular architecture, relevant for the contemporary theory and practice of sustainable design and construction. The term Ohrid vernacular architecture refers to the traditional secular architecture in the town of Ohrid. The subject of this research is the applied sustainable building strategies and selection of building materials, prominent in Ohird vernacular architecture i.e. urban houses of oriental type built in Ohrid from 18th to the beginning of 20th century. The primary goal of the research is to document and scientifically prove and explain that the Ohrid traditional house, as regional representative of the wider Balkan vernacular architecture from the Ottoman period, has had incorporated principles and strategies of contemporary sustainable design and construction..

Zwitterionic monomers as stabilizers for high solids content polymer colloids for high-performance coatings applications

Despite the huge and increasing application of high solids content polymer colloids for coating application, there are few challenges that still limit their full potential. The most emerging one is the use of surfactants for colloidal stabilization that affects negatively the coating performance. Moreover, due to their particulate nature, the waterborne dispersions presents lower mechanical performance with respect to the solvent-based counterparts. In this work, the possibility of use of zwitterionic monomers that contain multiple ionic functional groups, to provide colloidal stability of industrially relevant high solids content waterborne dispersions (50 %) was investigated. For that aim, small amount of 2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide (DMAPS) zwitterionic monomer was employed to form in-situ stabilizing units during methyl methacrylate/n-butyl acrylate (MMA/BA) emulsion polymerization. The main challenge was to avoid DMAPS aqueous phase polymerization, hence, to achieve its high incorporation onto hydrophobic MMA/BA polymer particles, a key requirement for colloidal stabilization. Certainly, high DMAPS incorporations were achieved (>50 %) providing excellent colloidal stability, and due to the stiff nature of the multiple ionic group, impressive improvement of mechanical properties of the resulting coating films. Additionally, DMAPS presence in the polymer chains conveys to the coatings enhanced water resistance and high humidity permeation, paving a way towards powerful barrier coatings application.This research was funded by consortium of companies (Akzo Nobel, Allnex, Arkema, Asian Paints, BASF, Covestro, Elix Polymers, Inovyn, Organik Kimya, Sherwin Williams, Stahl, Synthomer, Tesa, Vinavil, and Wacker) participating in Industrial Liaison Program on Polymerization in Dispersed Media

Understanding the Adsorption Capacity for CO2 in Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) and Modified Ones with Different Heteroatoms in Relation to Surface and Textural Characteristics

Reduced graphene oxide is a material that has a variety of applications, especially in CO2 adsorption. The study of this research is the preparation of reduced graphene oxide with different heteroatoms and how the adsorption capacity is changed. The functionalization with other compounds bearing Si, S, N, and O was before reducing graphene oxide. Different monoliths were prepared by changing the ascorbic acid analogy and the temperature of reduction. The different porosity values, percentages of heteroatoms, and synthetic parameters show that the adsorption capacity is a complex procedure that can be affected by multiple parameters. Microporosity, different functionalities from heteroatoms, and high surface/volume of pores are the significant parameters that affect adsorption. All parameters should establish a balance among all parameters to achieve high adsorption of CO2.This research was funded by Basque Government, grant number GV IT999-16

The Role of Master-Builder in Development of Traditional Ohrid House

Master-builder of traditional Ohrid house had important role for the origin and development of some particular elements of construction and finalisation, which are typical solutions that create a specific expression of the Ohrid residential architecture. Formation and development of the traditional Ohrid house, as a regional variant of the Ottoman type of urban house, with specific indigenous characteristics that are specifically related to the spatial plan and the structural details, was created by masterbuilders of Ohrid, Struga and Debar. Their contribution in the stylistic unification of the Ottoman residential architecture, as well as in finding innovative and specific solutions, is very significant

Towards improved performance of waterborne polymer dispersions through creation of dense ionic interparticle network within their films

To overcome the main challenge of low performance of the waterborne polymer coatings due to the particulate nature of the polymer dispersions and the complex film formation process, in this work we implemented the strategy of ionic complexation between oppositely charged waterborne polymer particles. For that aim, doubled charged ionic monomers ithaconic acid (IA) and styrenic 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) were used to densely functionalize (meth)acrylic film forming polymer particles, synthesized by seeded semi-batch emulsion polymerization to produce high solids content anionically and cationically charged polymer dispersions, respectively. The main advantage of the double charges in the selected ionic monomers is that they provide high ionic charge density onto charged particles at lower content of ionic monomers. The blending of these oppositely, densely charged and concentrated dispersions resulted in instantaneous coagulation. To postpone the immediate complexation, water-soluble non-ionic polymeric stabilizing species as steric obstacles around the colloids were employed, which allowed to prepare colloidally stable blends and to prepare ionic complexed films. Certainly, the established ionic complexes between carboxylic acids of IA anionic monomer and quaternary ammonium groups of DABCO units within the films improved substantially the mechanical properties and the water sensitivity of the ionic complexed polymeric films with respect to individual films and the reference blend, in which ionic bonding was prevented by pH control. Moreover, the dense ionic network formed within the film actuated as a strong barrier to the leakage of all the water-soluble species during film immersion in water. Beside simple strategy towards improved performance of waterborne coatings, these results offer further extension of their application potential.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Industrial Liaison Program in Polymerization in Dispersed Media (Akzo Nobel, Allnex, Arkema, Asian Paints, BASF, Covestro, Elix Polymers, Inovyn, Organik Kimya, Sherwin Williams, Stahl, Synthomer, Tesa, Vinavil, and Wacker) and the Sgiker Services of the University of the Basque Country

Environmental features of building materials of traditional Ohrid house and their contribution to its human design

Selection of materials for the construction of a house can significantly affect the extent to which it will be characterized as a "healthy home". Having this in mind, the paper discusses the environmental impact of applied building materials in the case of a traditional Ohrid house which was selected as a representative of vernacular architecture in the Balkan region. Respecting the principle of relying on local resources which is a characteristic of vernacular architecture, materials used for the construction of Ohrid houses are natural, non-toxic, most of them are organic, and none of them causes environmental pollution during the deconstruction, i.e., does not threaten its natural course. Consideration of the impact of building materials on the environment emphasizes the positive characteristics of selected natural materials as well as sustainable character of building principles of Ohrid masters. The following criteria were analysed: the amount of energy embodied in the particular material; the use of natural materials; locally produced building materials; use of durable materials; level of toxicity; recyclability; waste minimization; reuse of materials and the biodegradability of materials. The aim of this paper is to point out that the principles of environmentally responsible construction applied on the case of the Ohrid vernacular architecture are timeless guidelines in construction of healthy and sustainable architecture. The established character of being ecologically friendly and healthy which is typical for applied materials on selected examples of vernacular architecture, offers the opportunity for a review of sustainable strategies that are used for several centuries, but still keep their significance in contemporary sustainable practices and environmental design

Ionic Inter-Particle Complexation Effect on the Performance of Waterborne Coatings

The performance of waterborne (meth)acrylic coatings is critically affected by the film formation process, in which the individual polymer particles must join to form a continuous film. Consequently, the waterborne polymers present lower performance than their solvent-borne counter-polymers. To decrease this effect, in this work, ionic complexation between oppositely charged polymer particles was introduced and its effect on the performance of waterborne polymer films was studied. The (meth)acrylic particles were charged by the addition of a small amount of ionic monomers, such as sodium styrene sulfonate and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate. Density functional theory calculations showed that the interaction between the selected main charges of the respective functional monomers (sulfonate–amine) is favored against the interactions with their counter ions (sulfonate–Na and amine–H). To induce ionic complexation, the oppositely charged latexes were blended, either based on the same number of charges or the same number of particles. The performance of the ionic complexed coatings was determined by means of tensile tests and water uptake measurements. The ionic complexed films were compared with reference films obtained at pH at which the cationic charges were in neutral form. The mechanical resistance was raised slightly by ionic bonding between particles, producing much more flexible films, whereas the water penetration within the polymeric films was considerably hindered. By exploring the process of polymer chains interdiffusion using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) analysis, it was found that the ionic complexation was established between the particles, which reduced significantly the interdiffusion process of polymer chains. The presented ionic complexes of sulfonate–amine functionalized particles open a promising approach for reinforcing waterborne coatings.This research was funded by the Industrial Liaison Program in Polymerization in Dispersed Media (3M, Akzo Nobel, Allnex, Arkema, Asian Paints, BASF, DSM, Inovyn, Stahl, Synthomer, Vinavil, and Wacker)

CO2 Capture by Reduced Graphene Oxide Monoliths with Incorporated CeO2 Grafted with Functionalized Polymer Brushes

The monolithic materials of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) can be used successfully in CO2 adsorption. Here, the incorporation of CeO2 particles with and without polymer brushes grafted from the particles showed that the structural properties could be changed, affecting the adsorption of CO2. Polymer brushes of (1) poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), (2) poly(vinyl caprolactam) (PVCL) and (3) poly[(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl) trimethylammonium chloride] (PMETAC) were grafted from CeO2 via reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The preparation of monoliths of rGO with different modified CeO2 particles led to different thermal properties (TGA), structural changes (BET isotherms) and CO2 adsorption. The responsive character of the CeO2@polymer was proven by the DLS and UV results. The responsive character of the particles incorporated into the rGO monolith affected not only the adsorption capacity but also the microstructure and values of the surface volume of the pores of the monolith. Monoliths with porosity values for better adsorption were affected by the responsive character of the polymer.This research was funded by the Basque government, grant number GV IT999-16

Experimental and theoretical study of the effect of different functionalities of graphene oxide/polymer composites on selective CO2 capture

There is a constant need for versatile technologies to reduce the continuously increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, able to provide effective solutions under different conditions (temperature, pressure) and composition of the flue gas. In this work, a combination of graphene oxide (GO) and functionalized waterborne polymer particles was investigated, as versatile and promising candidates for CO2 capture application, with the aim to develop an easily scalable, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly CO2 capture technology. There are huge possibilities of different functional monomers that can be selected to functionalize the polymer particles and to provide CO2-philicity to the composite nanostructures. Density functional theory (DFT) was employed to gain a deeper understanding of the interactions of these complex composite materials with CO2 and N-2 molecules, and to build a basis for efficient screening for functional monomers. Estimation of the binding energy between CO2 and a set of GO/polymer composites, comprising copolymers of methyl methacrylate, n-butyl acrylate, and different functional monomers, shows that it depends strongly on the polymer functionalities. In some cases, there is a lack of cooperative effect of GO. It is explained by a remarkably strong GO-polymer binding, which induced less effective CO2-polymer interactions. When compared with experimental results, in the cases when the nanocomposite structures presented similar textural properties, the same trends for selective CO2 capture over N-2 were attained. Besides novel functional materials for CO2 capture and a deeper understanding of the interactions between CO2 molecules with various materials, this study additionally demonstrates that DFT calculations can be a shorter route toward the efficient selection of the best functionalization of the composite materials for selective CO2 capture.Spanish Government (BES-2017-080221) is gratefully acknowledged for its financial support. The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of the COST Action CA 15107. The authors thank SGIker (UPV/EHU, ERDF, EU) for technical and human support

Surfactant-free latexes as binders in paint applications

[EN] The leakage of surfactant from waterborne coatings is a matter of concern. Therefore, there is a strong interest in developing surfactant-free polymer dispersion as binders for waterborne coatings. This will accelerate the sub-stitution of solventborne binders by the more environmentally friendly waterborne latexes. However, as the performance of the coating depends on the interaction of the latex with pigments and fillers and this interaction is controlled by the composition of the surface of the polymer particles, it is an open question if the surfactant-free latexes are adequate for coating applications. In this work, surfactant-free latexes synthesized under industrial-like conditions using sodium styrene sulfonate (NaSS) to provide stability to the latex were used to formulate exterior paints and their performance compared with that of a commercial latex binder. It was found that for most of the application properties, the paints based on the NaSS binders present improvements with respect to the surfactant stabilized commercial binder