Characterisation of metakaolin-based geopolymers as modified by organic phase

Geopolymers are potentially emerging class of new materials for building purposes due to their enhanced properties in comparison with Portland cement or other types of binders. Primary source for their production could be any natural alumosilicate material or the one coming from the industry in the form of waste. Production of geopolymers is considered as eco-friendly due to the low gas emission and potentially contributor to the lowering of the deposited industrial waste. The main problem in the geopolymer’s application rises along with potential brittleness caused by their porosity. The introduction of modifiers (inorganic and organic) could lead to the filling-the-pores process and consequently to the improvement of mechanical properties (compressive strength). Structure modification by organic phase leads to the production of so called “hybrids”. In this work, commercial epoxy resin and 3-(methoxyl) propyl methacrylate were used as organic modifiers. The purpose of this research was to make a comparison of the microstructural and mechanical properties between two different hybrids through the examination of relevant parameters such as the concentration of NaOH in the alkaline activator and the Si/Al mass ratio in the starting raw mixture. Hybrid geopolymer composities were characterised using XRD, DRIFT spectroscopy as well as SEM microscopy. © 2021, Scibulcom Ltd.. All rights reserved.