The cement used was Portland cement (Type I) from Lafarge
Corp. (Southfield, MI, USA). The water/cement ratio was 0.35, unless
noted otherwise.
The zinc particle used as the active component in the anode was
zinc dust 122 from Horsehead Corp. (Monanca, PA, USA). It contained
99.3% zinc. The median particle size was 7 lm. The density
was 7.452 g/cm3
. Immediately prior to use, the surface of the zinc
dust was cleansed of its native oxide by acetic acid washing, followed
by ethanol rinsing. Unless noted otherwise, treated
(cleansed) zinc dust was used