During the last decade, the use of several kinds of inhibitors has increased significantly. However, it is needed to ensure the long-term inhibiting capacity of the substance. This paper presents the results of the exposure of concrete specimens containing ZnO and ZnO/Ca(NO2)2 as inhibitors to an aggressive marine environment after more than three years. The inhibiting capacity results will be described based on electrochemical measurements. Besides, a possible mechanism of ZnO action will be given. To study the effect of these inhibitors, 244 specimens were prepared with tap water and water from lake Maracaibo (= 3000 ppm Cl-), and exposed to saline environment for more than three years. Water/cement ratios 0.45, 0.5 and 0.6 were used, with inhibitor concentrations of 2 %, 3 % and 4 % of ZnO or Ca(NO2)2, and a mixture of both at 2 %, concentration on cement weight basis. All the results (physic-chemical and electrochemical), indicate that ZnO and its mixture with Ca(NO2)2 show better performance than Ca(NO2)2. ....
Keywords: Corrosion, Reinforced Concrete, Inhibitors, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Nitrite.