The protection of building elements exposed to the weather using hydrocarbon-based agents is a comprehensive group of analyses. These agents are characterized by very high chemical resistance, waterproofness, as well as adhesion to surfaces made of various materials, i.e., concrete, steel, ceramics and wood. Modification of adhesion, which ultimately leads to an increase in the durability of a protective/face coating made of such a material, can lead to a longer life of these layers and a less frequent need for replacement or restoration. The following paper describes an experimental research program on the possibility of increasing the adhesion and durability of epoxy resin modified with the use of powder fillers. The resin can be used as a protective or top coat on the surface of concretes or mortars. The main objective of the study was to increase the adhesion of the resin to the concrete substrate, modified by grinding and sandblasting to increase the roughness. For the series studied, both the changes in physicochemical parameters, which determine how the resin penetrates the irregularities of the substrate and mechanical parameters, which mainly determine the durability of the layer made in this way, were identified. A modified version of the pull-off test was used as a method to directly evaluate the effectiveness of the modified resins.
Keywords: adhesion; building material; carbon nanotubes; durability; epoxy resins; microsillica; profilometry; sonication; surface protection.