Abstract
Abstract Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) are considered as promising alternatives to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). In order to obtain the further potentiality of AAMs in marine environments, calcium silicate slag (CSS)-based AAMs with tapwater and seawater as mixing water were synthesized, respectively. Then the effects of seawater on the mechanical properties, mineralogy and microstructure were investigated. The reaction between liquid sodium silicate and seawater was observed and analysed. The results show that the main reaction products of CSS-based AAMs are amorphous C-(A)-S-H gels no matter whether the mixing water is tapwater or seawater. However, the ion exchange reaction of Mg2+ in seawater and silicate anions in alkaline solution produced M-S-H gels and SiO2 gels. The concomitant decrease of the pH value and the soluble silica content of alkaline solution, as well as the coating effect of gel products on the unreacted particles partly hindered the further alkali-activation and strength development. The findings of this study indicated the possibility of using seawater as mixing water of AAMs in marine environments.
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