Currently, novel inorganic alumino-silicate materials, known as geopolymer composites, have emerged swiftly as an ecobenevolent alternative to contemporary ordinary Portland cement (OPC) building materials since they display superior physical and chemical attributes with a diverse range of possible potential applications. The said innovative geopolymer technology necessitates less energy and low carbon footprints as compared to OPC-based materials because of the incorporation of wastes and/or industrial byproducts as binders replacing OPC. The key constituents of ceramic are silica and alumina and, hence, have the potential to be employed as an aggregate to manufacture ceramic geopolymer concrete. The present manuscript presents a review of the performance of geopolymer composites incorporated with ceramic waste, concerning workability, strength, durability, and elevated resistance evaluation.

In this paper, the thermal performance of ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) geopolymers is investigated. The geopolymers were prepared with sodium-based alkali activator and exposed to elevated temperature (200 to 1000°C) after 28 d of curing at room temperature. The unexposed geopolymers exhibited excellent compressive strength of 95 MPa. The compressive strength reduced to 8·9 MPa at 800°C and increased to 19·8 MPa at 1000°C. The strength regained by 122·5% as compared to the residual strength at 800°C. The crack reduction and partial melting in geopolymers treated at 1000°C signifies crack healing at elevated temperature, which in turn increases the compressive strength. In addition, the formation of crystalline phases of gehlenite (Ca₂Al₂SiO), mayenite (Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃) and larnite (Ca₂SiO₄) filled the geopolymer matrix and formed an ordered structure. This further enhanced the strength and high-temperature stability of GGBFS geopolymers.

A geopolymer has been reckoned as a rising technology with huge potential for application across the globe. Dolomite refers to a material that can be used raw in producing geopolymers. Nevertheless, dolomite has slow strength development due to its low reactivity as a geopolymer. In this study, dolomite/fly ash (DFA) geopolymer composites were produced with dolomite, fly ash, sodium hydroxide, and liquid sodium silicate. A compression test was carried out on DFA geopolymers to determine the strength of the composite, while a synchrotron Micro-Xray Fluorescence (Micro-XRF) test was performed to assess the elemental distribution in the geopolymer composite. The temperature applied in this study generated promising properties of DFA geopolymers, especially in strength, which displayed increments up to 74.48 MPa as the optimum value. Heat seemed to enhance the strength development of DFA geopolymer composites. The elemental distribution analysis revealed exceptional outcomes for the composites, particularly exposure up to 400 °C, which signified the homogeneity of the DFA composites. Temperatures exceeding 400 °C accelerated the strength development, thus increasing the strength of the DFA composites. This appears to be unique because the strength of ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and other geopolymers composed of other raw materials is typically either maintained or decreases due to increased heat.

Geopolymers have been intensively explored over the past several decades and considered as green materials and may be synthesised from natural sources and wastes. Global attention has been generated by the use of kaolin and calcined kaolin in the production of ceramics, green cement, and concrete for the construction industry and composite materials. The previous findings on ceramic geopolymer mix design and factors affecting their suitability as green ceramics are reviewed. It has been found that kaolin offers significant benefit for ceramic geopolymer applications, including excellent chemical resistance, good mechanical properties, and good thermal properties that allow it to sinter at a low temperature, 200 °C. The review showed that ceramic geopolymers can be made from kaolin with a low calcination temperature that have similar properties to those made from high calcined temperature. However, the choice of alkali activator and chemical composition should be carefully investigated, especially under normal curing conditions, 27 °C. A comprehensive review of the properties of kaolin ceramic geopolymers is also presented, including compressive strength, chemical composition, morphological, and phase analysis. This review also highlights recent findings on the range of sintering temperature in the ceramic geopolymer field which should be performed between 600 °C and 1200 °C. A brief understanding of kaolin geopolymers with a few types of reinforcement towards property enhancement were covered. To improve toughness, the role of zirconia was highlighted. The addition of zirconia between 10% and 40% in geopolymer materials promises better properties and the mechanism reaction is presented. Findings from the review should be used to identify potential strategies that could develop the performance of the kaolin ceramic geopolymers industry in the electronics industry, cement, and biomedical materials.

Geopolymer materials are used as construction materials due to their lower carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions compared with conventional cementitious materials. An example of a geopolymer material is alkali-activated kaolin, which is a viable alternative for producing high-strength ceramics. Producing high-performing kaolin ceramics using the conventional method requires a high processing temperature (over 1200 °C). However, properties such as pore size and distribution are affected at high sintering temperatures. Therefore, knowledge regarding the sintering process and related pore structures on alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic is crucial for optimizing the properties of the aforementioned materials. Pore size was analyzed using neutron tomography, while pore distribution was observed using synchrotron micro-XRF. This study elucidated the pore structure of alkali-activated kaolin at various sintering temperatures. The experiments showed the presence of open pores and closed pores in alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic samples. The distributions of the main elements within the geopolymer ceramic edifice were found with Si and Al maps, allowing for the identification of the kaolin geopolymer. The results also confirmed that increasing the sintering temperature to 1100 °C resulted in the alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic samples having large pores, with an average size of ~80 µm³ and a layered porosity distribution.