Sustainable cements in construction: magnesium phosphate cements to stimulate colonization by photosynthetic organisms of building materials

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. One topic related to the increment in the sustainability is the incorporation of photosynthetic organisms on the structures envelope. In this sense, the development of cementitious materials with enhanced bioreceptivity to stimulate natural colonization may provide a new solution. Accordingly, modifications on the bioreceptivity imply both chemical and physical properties, where the chemical properties may be easily adjusted by the use of magnesium phosphate cements (MPC) with lower pH than the Ordinary Portland Cement. This work aims to characterize specimens made of magnesium phosphate cement with different levels of bioreceptivity, which were obtained by means of different dosages in terms of aggregate size, water to cement ratios and amount of cement paste. Moreover, it also aims to evaluate the suitability of the materials to be colonized by living organisms under both laboratory and environmental conditions.