Geopolymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Application

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Clays and Engineered Mineral Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 2385

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Materials Engineering and Physics, Cracow University of Technology, Al. Jana Pawła II 37, 31-864 Kraków, Poland
Interests: thermal phenomena in alkaline-activated materials; apparent activation energy of alkaline-activated materials; influence of heat treatment on geopolymers; hydrothermal treatment of alkaline-activated materials; fire resistance of geopolymers; foamed geopolymers; electrical conductivity of alkaline-activated materials; alkaline-activated materials based on clay and minerals
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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, National Ilan University, Ilan 26047, Taiwan
Interests: construction materials; non-cement blended materials; recycled and reuse in cement-based composites; geopolymer; green materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the world has begun to see opportunities for the application and development of sustainable alkali-activated materials based on natural deposits as well as post-process products.

There has been a great increase in research and interest in geopolymer materials. The possibilities for the use of such materials seem unlimited, and their application has been recognized in almost all fields of technology.

The main purpose of this Special Issue is to invite researchers to publish innovative research and critical analysis related to the manufacture, processing and synthesis of geopolymers and composites based on geopolymers or alkali-activated materials. In this issue, we encourage the sharing of innovative research in all areas centered around geopolymers.

Dr. Dariusz Mierzwiński
Dr. Wei-Ting Lin
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • geopolymers
  • alkaline-activated materials
  • thermal and hydrothermal processing of geopolymers
  • geopolymers based on natural and synthetic deposits
  • characterization of geopolymers
  • application of geopolymers

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5780 KiB  
Article
The Role of Water Content and Binder to Aggregate Ratio on the Performance of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymer Mortars
by Felix Dathe, Steffen Overmann, Andreas Koenig and Frank Dehn
Minerals 2024, 14(8), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080823 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 411
Abstract
Geopolymers are in many applications a perfect alternative to standard cements, especially regarding the sustainable development of green building materials. This experimental study therefore deals with the investigation of different factors, such as the water content and the binder to aggregate ratio, and [...] Read more.
Geopolymers are in many applications a perfect alternative to standard cements, especially regarding the sustainable development of green building materials. This experimental study therefore deals with the investigation of different factors, such as the water content and the binder to aggregate ratio, and their influence on the workability of fresh mortar and its mechanical properties and porosity on different size scales. Although increasing the water content improved the workability and flow behaviour of the fresh mortar, at the same time, a reduction in compressive strength in particular and a lesser reduction in flexural strength could be demonstrated. This finding can be attributed to an increase in capillary porosity, as demonstrated by capillary water uptake and mercury intrusion porosimetry measurements. At the same time, the increasing water content led to an improved deaeration effect (low air void content) and to initial segregation (see the µXCT measurements). An alternative approach to enhance the compressive and flexural strengths of the mortar specimens is optimization of the binder to aggregate ratio from 1 to 0.25. This study paves the way for a comprehensive understanding of the underlying chemistry of the geopolymerization reaction and is crucial for the development of sustainable alternatives to cementitious systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geopolymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Application)
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15 pages, 8831 KiB  
Article
Durability of Non-Heat-Cured Geopolymer Mortars Containing Metakaolin and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag
by Burak Işıkdağ and Hidayet Alper Mutlu
Minerals 2024, 14(8), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080776 - 30 Jul 2024
Viewed by 428
Abstract
This study presents the durability, strength and microstructure of non-heat-cured geopolymer mortars (GMs) containing metakaolin (MK), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), potassium hydroxide (KOH), sodium metasilicate (Na2SiO3), CEN sand and network water. Optimum MK, GGBFS and activator solution [...] Read more.
This study presents the durability, strength and microstructure of non-heat-cured geopolymer mortars (GMs) containing metakaolin (MK), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), potassium hydroxide (KOH), sodium metasilicate (Na2SiO3), CEN sand and network water. Optimum MK, GGBFS and activator solution ratios were investigated, and the compressive strength of non-heat-cured 28-day GMs reached 55 MPa. Analysis of GMs using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrophotometry (EDX) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) revealed alumino-silicate formation, potassium from KOH solution and calcium from GGBFS. It showed that the grains containing high silica in the form of quartz crystals were found in the gel formation. The strength and durability of MK- and GGBFS-based GMs exposed to freeze–thawing, a high temperature, wear loss, magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) and HCl solutions were found to be sufficient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geopolymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Application)
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18 pages, 3624 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Geopolymeric Material Properties: A Comparative Study of Compaction Effects via Alkaline and Acidic Routes
by Marwa Zribi, Maher Issa and Samir Baklouti
Minerals 2024, 14(7), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14070661 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1124
Abstract
This research undertakes a comparative study between compacted phosphate-based (CPG) and alkaline-based (CAG) geopolymeric materials. The obtained materials underwent comprehensive evaluation through mechanical, physical, and chemical analyses. CPG exhibited superior mechanical strength, demonstrating an exponential growth with curing age in contrast to CAG. [...] Read more.
This research undertakes a comparative study between compacted phosphate-based (CPG) and alkaline-based (CAG) geopolymeric materials. The obtained materials underwent comprehensive evaluation through mechanical, physical, and chemical analyses. CPG exhibited superior mechanical strength, demonstrating an exponential growth with curing age in contrast to CAG. Both materials exhibited stable density over time, with CPG displaying a notably higher density attributed to its enhanced reactivity in an acidic medium. Dimensional variations revealed stable dimensions for CPG and subtle shrinkage for CAG, potentially associated with an observed efflorescence phenomenon. Visual assessments during water immersion highlighted the enhanced stability of CPG. Chemical analyses confirmed the persistence of mineralogical phases, such as quartz and illite, and the emergence of an amorphous geopolymeric network in both CPG and CAG samples. CPG materials featured aluminum phosphate phases, reinforcing structural integrity, while CAG materials exhibited sodium carbonate phases, introducing impurities, elucidating the superior performance of CPG over CAG. For the formation kinetics, CPG exhibited a faster reaction time than CAG, as evidenced by the evolution of pH, densification rate, and FTIR band over curing time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geopolymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Application)
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