Alkali leaching and mechanical performance of epoxy resin-reinforced geopolymer composite

Abstract

Geopolymer material has emerged as a new binder in concrete production, mainly because of the low energy consumption and low greenhouse gas emission compared to Portland cement manufacture. However, low flexural strength and a high tendency to leach alkalis limit the application of this material in the construction field. In this study, a series of fly ash/ground granulated blast furnace slag based geopolymer composites reinforced with different amounts of bisphenol F epoxy resin were produced with an aim to investigate the effect of epoxy resin on alkali leaching and mechanical performance on geopolymer. The results show that the inclusion of a small amount of epoxy resin can significantly enhance the mechanical properties and reduce the total amount of alkali leaching of ambient-cured geopolymer, thus promising the extensive application of geopolymer in the construction industry.