The aim of this work was to study the influence of the type of activator on the formulation of modified fly ash based geopolymer mortars. Geopolymer and alkali-activated materials (AAM) were made from fly ashes derived from coal and biomass combustion in thermal power plants. Basic activators (NaOH, CaO, and Na₂SiO₃) were mixed with fly ashes in order to develop binding properties other than those resulting from the use of Portland cement. The results showed that the mortars with 5 mol/dm³ of NaOH and 100 g of Na₂SiO₃ (N5-S22) gave a greater compressive strength than other mixes. The compressive strengths of analyzed fly ash mortars with activators N5-S22 and N5-C10 (5 mol/dm³ NaOH and 10% CaO) varied from 14.3 MPa to 5.9 MPa. The better properties of alkali-activated mortars with regular fly ash were influenced by a larger amount of amorphous silica and alumina phases. Scanning electron microscopy and calorimetry analysis provided a better understanding of the observed mechanisms.

The development of sustainable building materials with reduced environmental footprint in both, manufacturing and operational phases of the material lifecycle, is attracting increased interest in the construction industry worldwide. A recent innovation, the geopolymer foam concrete, combines the performance benefits and operational energy savings achievable through the use of lightweight foam concrete, with the cradle-togate emissions reductions obtained through the use of a geopolymer binder derived from granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS). In this study mechanical properties of GBFS-based foam concrete were investigated for samples of different water to solid ratio (0.252, 0.287 and 0.321). According to ASTM C 796-97 both mass of the foaming solution and water in sodium silicate solution was considered as part of the total amount of mixing water. As a solid part, GBFS and solid part of activators (NaOH and sodium silicate) was accounted. A group of specimens (40x40x160 beams and 100x100x100 cubes) have been prepared and volume density, bending, compressive strength tests have been performed. In a result an optimized lightweight GBFS-based geopolymer foam concrete was obtained, characterized by 1.8 kg/dm3 volume density, 2.6 MPa bending strength and 51.8 MPa compressive strength measured on beams and 44.1 MPa compressive strength on cubes.

The article deals with research on sustainable building materials - alkali-activated mortars with high temperature resistance. A cement-free alkali-activated binder [geopolymer] based on alkali-activated fly ash from coal combustion using perlite, perlite dust and cenospheres as filler. The...

This article presents a study on the thermal properties of geopolymer mortars, which are novel materials with lower environmental impact and higher performance than Portland cement. Geopolymers are formed by the reaction of aluminosilicate sources and alkali activators, resulting in a polymeric Si-O-Al network. The study used the non-stationary method of measuring thermal diffusivity to evaluate the heat transfer coefficient of geopolymer mortars modified with perlite powder, cenospheres and perlite sand, which are porous components that affect the bulk density and thermal conductivity of the composite. The study had two specific objectives: to assess the significance of the factors related to the composition and bulk density on the thermal conductivity coefficient and to test the suitability of the non-stationary method for geopolymers. The study found that all the composites met the RILEM standards for a Class II composite, with a thermal conductivity coefficient below 0.75 W/(m∙K). The most influential factor was the dosage of perlite sand, which reduced the composite density and decreased the thermal conductivity. The study concluded that geopolymer composites modified with low-density grain additives are a promising thermal insulation material, but they need more research on their durability.