Abstract
This paper focuses on the development of high-strength and eco-friendly one-part (i.e., dry-mix) alkali-activated mortar with ground granulated blast furnace slag as the main precursor. In addition to slag, phyllite dust and silica fume were used as co-binders in binary and ternary blends to improve mechanical properties. Particle packing optimization was employed for the mix proportioning to achieve a compact matrix skeleton. The results revealed that a 10% increase in mortar strength was gained after adjusting the particle packing and an additional 20% increment was observed after blending the slag with other mineral admixtures. Ternary blend with all three binders achieved a mortar compressive strength value of 145 MPa (at 28 d age), which is the highest strength reported in one-part alkali-activated materials. Additionally, ternary blends present potential economic benefits because of their ability to replace slag with lower-cost industrial side streams.
Highlights
Alkali-activated binders have been gaining popularity in the construction industry owing to their potential to cut down CO2 emissions [1,2,3]
Peak 1 corresponded to the exothermic reaction due to the immediate adsorption of alkali solution on the surface of binders when it came in contact with water and corresponds to the heat evolved from the dissolution of sodium silicate co-grinded with Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS)
The presence of secondary agglomerates in silica fume in binary and ternary blends partly explains the later appearance of the second peak, as OH– released by sodium silicate can be consumed for dispersing and depolymerizing silica fume
Summary
Alkali-activated binders have been gaining popularity in the construction industry owing to their potential to cut down CO2 emissions [1,2,3]. They are not yet widely applied due to issues related to corrosive alkali-activator solutions and the requirement of elevated temperature curing in some of the. Alkali-activated materials (AAM) [4,5] In this regards, one-part AAMs have recently gained a significant amount of attention since they follow similar mixing procedures as that of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete [6].
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