• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.363-370
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• 2016

Lightweight geopolymers are more readily produced and give higher fire resistant performance than foam cement concrete. Lowering the density of solid geopolymers can be achieved by inducing chemical reactions that entrain gases to foam the geopolymer structure. This paper reports on the effects of adding different concentrations of aluminum powder on the properties of cellular structured geopolymers. The apparent density of lightweight geopolymers has a range from 0.7 to $1.2g/m^3$ with 0.025, 0.05 and 0.10 wt% of a foaming agent concentration, which corresponds to about 37~60 % of the apparent density, $1.96g/cm^3$, of solid geopolymers. The compressive strength of cellular structured geopolymers decreased to 6~18 % of the compressive strength, 45 MPa of solid geopolymers. The microstructure of geopolymers gel was equivalent for both solid and cellular structured geopolymers. The workability of geopolymers with polyprophylene fibers needs to be improved as in fiber-reinforced cement concrete. The lightweight geopolymers could be used as indoor wall tile or board due to fire resistance and incombustibility of geopolymers.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.378-382
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• 2018

It is a known fact that the cement production is responsible for almost 5% of total worldwide $CO_2$ emission, the primary factor affecting global warming. Geopolymers are valuable as ordinary Portland cement (OPC) substitutes because geopolymers release 80% less $CO_2$ than OPC and have mechanical properties sufficiently similar to those of OPC. Therefore, geopolymers have proven attractive to eco-friendly construction industries. Geopolymers can be fabricated from aluminum silicate materials with alkali activators such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, and so on. Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) slag has been used for fabricating geopolymers. In general, IGCC slag geopolymers are fabricated with finely ground and sieved (<128 mesh) IGCC slag. The grinding process of as-received IGCC slag is one of the main costs in geopolymer production. Therefore, the idea of using as-received IGCC slag (before grinding the IGCC slag) as aggregates in the geopolymer matrix was introduced to reduce production cost as well as to enhance compressive strength. As-received IGCC slag (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 wt%) was added in the geopolymer mixing process and the mixtures were compared. The compressive strength of geopolymers with an addition of 10 wt% as-received IGCC slag increased by 19.84% compared to that with no additional as-received IGCC slag and reached up to 41.20 MPa. The enhancement of compressive strength is caused by as-received IGCC slag acting as aggregates in the geopolymer matrix like aggregates in concrete. The density of geopolymers slightly increased to $2.1-2.2g/cm^3$ with increasing slag addition. Therefore, it is concluded that a small addition of as-received IGCC slag into the geopolymer can increase compressive strength and decrease the total cost of the product. Moreover, the direct use of as-received IGCC slag may contribute to environment protection by reducing process time and $CO_2$ emission.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.253-263
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• 2015

Ordinary Portland cement is a widely favored construction material because of its good strength and durability and its reasonable price; however, spalling behaviour during fire exposure can be a serious risk that can lead to strength degradation or collapse of a building. Geopolymers, which can be synthesized by mixing aluminosilicate source materials such as metakaolin and fly ash, and alkali activators, are resistant to fire. Because the chemical composition of geopolymers controls the properties of the geopolyers, geopolymers with various Si:Al ratios were synthesized and evaluated as fire resistant construction materials. Rejected fly ash generated from a power plant was quantitatively analyzed and mixed with alkali activators to produce geopolymers having Si:Al ratios of 1.5, 2.0, and 3.5. Compressive strength of the geopolymers was measured at 28 days before and after heating at $900^{\circ}C$. Geopolymers having an Si:Al ratio of 1.5 presented the best fire resistance, with a 44% increase of strength from 29 MPa to 41 MPa after heating. This material also showed the least expansion-shrinkage characteristics. Geopolymer mortar developed no spalling and presented more than a 2 h fire resistance rating at $1,050^{\circ}C$ during the fire testing, with a cold side temperature of $74^{\circ}C$. Geopolymers have high potential as a fire resistant construction material in terms of their increased strength after exposure to fire.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2013

Pond ash produced from Seochun Power Station was quantitatively characterized to manufacture geopolymers with a range of Si/Al compositional ratios. Mix consistency was kept nearly constant for comparing the compressive strengths of geopolymers. The amorphous composition of coal ash was determined using XRF and quantitative X-ray diffraction. Different mix compositions were used in order to achieve Si/Al ratios of 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 in the geopolymer binder. Geopolymers synthesized from coal ash with a Si/Al ratio of 3.0 exhibited the highest compressive strength in this study. It was found that geopolymers activated with aluminate produced different microstructure from that of geopolymers activated with silicate. High silica in alkali activators produced the fine-grained microstructure of geopolymer gel. It was also found that high compressive strength was related to low porosity and a dense, connected microstructure. The outcome of the reported experiment indicates that quantitative formulation method made it possible to choose suitable activators for achieving targeted compositions of geopolymers and to avoid efflorescence.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.510-516
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• 2013

Fly ash is one of the aluminosilicate sources used for the synthesis of geopolymers. The particle size distribution of fly ash and the content of unburned carbon residue are known to affect the compressive strength of geopolymers. In this study, the effects of particle size and unburned carbon content of fly ash on the compressive strength of geopolymers have been studied over a compositional range in geopolymer gels. Unburned carbon was effectively separated in the $-46{\mu}m$ fraction using an air classifier and the fixed carbon content declined from 3.04 wt% to 0.06 wt%. The mean particle size ($d_{50}$) decreased from $22.17{\mu}m$ to $10.79{\mu}m$. Size separation of fly ash by air classification resulted in reduced particle size and carbon residue content with a collateral increase in reactivity with alkali activators. Geopolymers produced from carbon-free ash, which was separated by air classification, developed up to 50 % higher compressive strength compared to geopolymers synthesized from raw ash. It was presumed that porous carbon particles hinder geopolymerization by trapping vitreous spheres in the pores of carbon particles and allowing them to remain intact in spite of alkaline attack. The microstructure of the geopolymers did not vary considerably with compressive strength, but the highest connectivity of the geopolymer gel network was achieved when the Si/Al ratio of the geopolymer gel was 5.0.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.73-81
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• 2016

Geopolymers produced from aluminosilicate materials such as metakaolin and coal ash react with alkali activators and show higher fire resistance than portland cement, due to amorphous inorganic polymer. The percentage of thermal shrinkage of geopolymers ranges from less than 0.5 % to about 3 % until $600^{\circ}C$, and reaches about 5 ~ 7 % before melting. In this study, geopolymers paste having Si/Al = 1.5 and being mixed with carbon nanofibers, silicon carbide, pyrex glass, and vermiculite, and ISO sand were studied in order to understand the compressive strength and the effects of thermal shrinkage of geopolymers. The compressive strength of geopolymers mixed by carbon nanofibers, silicon carbide, pyrex glass, or vermiculite was similar in the range from 35 to 40 MPa. The average compressive strength of a geopolymers mixed with 30 wt.% of ISO sand was lowest of 28 MPa. Thermal shrinkage of geopolymers mixed with ISO sand decreased to about 25 % of paste. This is because the aggregate particles expanded on firing and to compensate the shrinkage of paste. The densification of the geopolymer matrix and the increase of porosity by sintering at $900^{\circ}C$ were observed regardless of fillers.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.59-67
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• 2018

Efflorescence is a white deposit of powders in the surface of cement concrete which can also occur in geopolymers. Efflorescence occurs when sodium ions in alkali activator react with atmospheric carbon dioxide to form sodium carbonate components. In this study, we investigated whether the secondary efflorescence can be reduced by controlling the Na/Al mole ratio or by changing the curing temperature and heat curing time in fly ash-based geopolymers. The 28 days compressive strength in geopolymers having Na/Al ratio of 1.0 was higher than geopolymers having Na/Al ratio of 0.8. The strength increased with the increasing curing temperature and longer heat curing time. On the other hand, efflorescence was lower when the curing temperature was high and the heat curing time was longer in the geopolymers having Na/Al ratio of 1.0. The geopolymers having Na/Al ratio of 0.8 showed accelerated efflorescence occurrence than the geopolymers having Na/Al ratio of 1.0. In order to reduce the occurrence of the secondary efflorescence of fly ash-based geopolymers, it will be advantageous to maintain the Na/Al ratio at 1.0, increase the curing temperature, and lengthen the heating curing time.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.143-150
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• 2022

Geopolymers were made by mixing IGCC slag and aluminum smelted waste and their properties were compared with those of IGCC slag based geopolymers. When two raw materials were mixed, the highest compressive strength was obtained at 1.78 of Si/Al ratio. Because the change in compressive strength and density was not so sensitive by the change in Si/Al ratio; that is, the permissible range of Si/Al ratio mixing ratio is broad, it was speculated this broad permissible range would be advantageous for commercialization. The Compressive strength of geopolymers including red mud was higher than that of IGCC based ones and the safety was confirmed by TCLP test. Therefore, it was concluded that the making geopolymers by mixing red mud not only enhances the properties of geopolymers but also gives a recyclability as safe construction materials.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2020

Lightweight geopolymers were fabricated by using fused slag from integrated gasification combined cycle as a law material and Si sludge from silicon wafer process as a bloating material for the purpose of replacing autoclaved lightweight concrete (ALC). Density and compressive strength of geopolymers were measured and compared with the properties of ALC according to the variation of mol concentration of alkaline activator, W/S ratio, addition of fibers, and addition of polystyrene and the possibility of replacing ALC panel was estimated through the comparisons. Although the geopolymer satisfying the standard of ALC panel was not made by controlling mol concentration and W/S ratio, addition of inserts such as fibers and polystyrene insert was tried to overcome the obstacle of enhancing properties. Geopolymers cannot satisfying the standard of ALC panel by adding carbon or glass fibers; however, adding fibers can be suggested as one of the methods enhancing compressive strength because the compressive strength of the specimen containing 0.3 wt.% glass fibers was increased by 3 times. The maximum addition of polystyrene insert was turned out to be 50 vol.% and the properties of geopolymers varied by the method of insertion. When using single polystyrene insert, compressive strength was 17.8 MPa and density was 0.996 g/㎤ which were similar values to the standard of ALC panel. If the difficulties of reproductivity of production and insertion method of inserts were overcome through the future research, the geopolymers containing polystyrene inserts could possibly replace ALC panel.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.521-527
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• 2016

Geopolymers have many advantages over Portland cement, including energy efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, high strength at early age and improved thermal resistance. Alkali activated geopolymers made from waste materials such as fly ash or blast furnace slag are particularly advantageous because of their environmental sustainability and low cost. However, their durability and functionality remain subjects for further study. Geopolymer materials can be used in various applications such as fire and heat resistant fiber composites, sealants, concretes, ceramics, etc., depending on the chemical composition of the source materials and the activators. In this study, we investigated the thermal properties and microstructure of fly ash and blast furnace slag based geopolymers in order to develop eco-friendly construction materials with excellent energy efficiency, sound insulation properties and good heat resistance. With different curing times, specimens of various compositions were investigated in terms of compressive strength, X-ray diffraction, thermal property and microstructure. In addition, we investigated changes in X-ray diffraction and microstructure for geopolymers exposed to $1,000^{\circ}C$ heat.