Abstract
The article describes the state of the art in reinforced geopolymers, taking into consideration various types of polymer fiber reinforcements, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or polylactic acid. The description is focused on the usage of polymer short fibers and the mechanical properties of the geopolymer composites. However, to show a wider research background, numerous references are discussed concerning the selected studies on reinforcing geopolymer composites with long fibers and fabrics. The research method applied in the article is the critical analysis of literature sources, including a comparison of new material with other materials used in similar applications. The results of the research are discussed in a comparative context and the properties of the composites are juxtaposed with the properties of the standard materials used in the construction industry. Potential applications in the construction industry are presented. Moreover, the contemporary research challenges for geopolymer materials reinforced with fibers are presented.
Highlights
Geopolymers are a group of materials that could be defined as inorganic aluminosilicate polymers with specific composition and properties
In the case of flexural strength, a positive effect was noticed for composites with the addition of more than 1% of PP fibers on the results obtained in the early period of material curing—up to about 2 weeks
The results show a lack of changes in compressive strength—the strength of the control sample was 52.6 MPa which increased by less than 1.0% upon adding 1% PP fibers and increasing the flexural strength
Summary
Geopolymers are a group of materials that could be defined as inorganic aluminosilicate polymers with specific composition and properties. The geopolymers are obtained in the reaction of polycondensation of ortosilicans (comprising Si and Al atoms in their structure) activated usually by NaOH or KOH [1]. The geopolymerization process required binding material, and activator [2,3,4]. As the activators are used usually alkali reactant It is soluble alkali metal based on sodium or potassium. It includes alkali silicates, hydroxides, carbonates and other addition such as sodium aluminates or cement kiln dust. The most commonly used alkaline reactant solution is a mixture of hydroxides (NaOH or KOH) and silicates solution (Na2SiO3 or K2SiO3). That process may be performed at low temperature, but the higher the temperature the better the characteristics of the materials that are obtained [5,6,7]
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