Preparation and properties of magnesium phosphate cement foam concrete with H2O2 as foaming agent

Abstract

Magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) foam concrete was manufactured using MPC as cementitious material and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as foaming agent and investigated the properties of this material. The 28 d compressive strength, thermal conductivity and strength retention coefficient of the MPC foam concrete prepared with dry densities varying from 300 to 1000 kg/m3 are 1.8–21.6 MPa, 0.136–0.347 W/(m·K) and 0.51–0.72, respectively. It is interesting to note that the MPC foam concrete prepared has a characteristic of early strength and the strength- porosity relationship concurs with Balshin’s model. And the probability density function and normal distribution can well analyze the pore size distribution of the MPC foam concrete prepared, and the results show that the MPC foam concrete with a higher dry density has a narrower pore size distribution and a smaller average pore size. In addition, the MPC foam concrete, for a given dry density or a given thermal conductivity, has a higher compressive strength compared with the foam concrete from OPC, implying the MPC foam concrete prepared has potential to be used as structural concrete and thermal insulation material.