Papers by Author: Glykeria Kakali

Abstract: With the OPC industry being responsible for the 8% of CO₂ global emissions, alternative, eco-friendly building materials, called geopolymers, have been in the center of research interest. Their broader use is limited due to the concentrated alkali solution that is involved in the synthesis process. In this study, a wide range of solid reagents are tested for the development of solid mixtures with suitable alkali and silica content that will substitute the corrosive activation solution. One-part geopolymers were synthesized using Greek fly ash as the aluminosilicate precursor. The produced samples were appropriately characterized by XRD, FTIR and SEM analytical techniques while the mechanical performance was evaluated through uniaxial compressive strength measurements. One-part geopolymers using anhydrous sodium silicates with molar ratios SiO₂/Na₂O ≤ 2 as solid activators, can successfully substitute the activation solution since they achieve identical mechanical performance to that of the two-part geopolymers (≥ 60 MPa).

Abstract: There are several factors that affect geopolymerization, including the type and ratios of the starting materials as well as the curing conditions of the initial mixture. The effect of the synthesis parameters on the formation of inorganic polymers are usually examined by “changing one factor at a time”. In this study Taguchi experimental designing model was applied in order to study the synergetic effect of selected synthesis parameters on the compressive strength development of metakaolin based geopolymers. The experimental design involved the variation of three control factors in five levels. The selected factors and the corresponding level range were: i) the alkali to aluminum molar ratio in the starting mixture (0.5-1.5), ii) the kind of alkali ion (Na and/or K) and iii) the molar ratio of Si to alkali oxide in the activation solution (0-2.0). The compressive strength of geopolymers was measured and the final products were also examined by means of XRD, FTIR and SEM. As it is concluded, the optimal synthesis conditions for metakaolin geopolymers are R/Al=0.75, Na/(Na+K)=0.50 and [Si]/R2O=1.50, while the factor having the highest impact on the development of compressive strength is the [Si]/R2O ratio.