Mechanical strength and the degradation mechanism of metakaolin based geopolymer mixed with ordinary Portland cement and cured at high temperature and high relative humidity

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2023.02.006

Abstract

Abstract: Geopolymer is a new type of eco-friendly cementitious material, and its superior drying and high temperature resistance has been widely recognized. The service performance of geopolymer under 150 ℃ high-temperature hydrothermal conditions is still less discussed. In this paper, the mechanical strength of pure metakaolin system with low calcium content and metakaolin-cement system with high calcium content under hydrothermal and non-hydrothermal conditions were studied. The results show that under 150 ℃ hydrothermal conditions, the strength of pure metakaolin geopolymer sharply decreases by reduction rate of 81.8% compared to the sample under 150 ℃ drying conditions, while the strength of metakaolin-cement geopolymers is well retained with only a slight decrease of 14.4%. This is mainly because the predominantly hydration product sodium aluminosilicate (N-A-S-H) gel of pure metakaolin system undergoes the process of “dissociation-repolymerization-crystallization” under 150 ℃ hydrothermal conditions, resulting in the loss of cementation ability and obvious deterioration of mechanical strength. In the metakaolin-cement system, the high-calcium calcium silicate gel (C-A-S-H) gel maintains a stable structure, thereby maintaining the macroscopic strength of the material under the hydrothermal conditions.

Key words: Geopolymer, Hydrothermal conditions, Strength, Degradation, Crystallization, Gels

摘要： Geopolymer is a new type of eco-friendly cementitious material, and its superior drying and high temperature resistance has been widely recognized. The service performance of geopolymer under 150 ℃ high-temperature hydrothermal conditions is still less discussed. In this paper, the mechanical strength of pure metakaolin system with low calcium content and metakaolin-cement system with high calcium content under hydrothermal and non-hydrothermal conditions were studied. The results show that under 150 ℃ hydrothermal conditions, the strength of pure metakaolin geopolymer sharply decreases by reduction rate of 81.8% compared to the sample under 150 ℃ drying conditions, while the strength of metakaolin-cement geopolymers is well retained with only a slight decrease of 14.4%. This is mainly because the predominantly hydration product sodium aluminosilicate (N-A-S-H) gel of pure metakaolin system undergoes the process of “dissociation-repolymerization-crystallization” under 150 ℃ hydrothermal conditions, resulting in the loss of cementation ability and obvious deterioration of mechanical strength. In the metakaolin-cement system, the high-calcium calcium silicate gel (C-A-S-H) gel maintains a stable structure, thereby maintaining the macroscopic strength of the material under the hydrothermal conditions.

关键词: Geopolymer, Hydrothermal conditions, Strength, Degradation, Crystallization, Gels

Xia Miao, Xiaofan Pang, Shiyu Li, Haoguang Wei, Jianhao Yin, Xiangming Kong. Mechanical strength and the degradation mechanism of metakaolin based geopolymer mixed with ordinary Portland cement and cured at high temperature and high relative humidity[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 60(8): 118-130.

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