To
simulate the thermal properties of cave dwellings, which are warm
in winter and cool in summer, a mesoporous material with a good humidity-regulating
performance was synthesized hydrothermally from loess. Through the
calcination of loess, which both provides active calcium through the
decomposition of calcite within loess and improves the reactivity
by dehydroxylation, a tough mesoporous material could be synthesized
without any additives, and tobermorite formation was found to exert
a positive effect on its strength and porosity. Mesopores seemed to
exert a positive influence on the humidity-regulating performance
of the material from loess. Although calcination destroyed the original
porosity of the loess, the porosity and thus the humidity-regulating
performance could be recovered greatly through hydrothermal treatment.
As such, using only calcined loess, a tough mesoporous material exhibiting
good humidity-regulating performance was synthesized that could be
used as a “cave-dwelling” building material in cities
to save energy.