Preparation and properties of metakaolin based porous geopolymer modified by potassium titanate whisker

Abstract

In this contribution, the metakaolin based porous geopolymer modified by potassium titanate whisker was successfully fabricated for the first time for improving mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance. The preparation process, microstructure and properties of porous geopolymer were tested and studied. The results showed that when the mass fraction of foaming agent and foaming stabilizer were 2.0% and 1.5%, respectively, the pore structure was evenly distributed, the total porosity was up to 51.6%, the average pore diameter was 0.87 mm, and the compressive strength was up to 3.63 MPa; When the mass fraction of potassium titanate whisker increased from 0.0% to 20.0%, the maximum compressive strength and minimum thermal conductivity of porous geopolymer can reach 4.11 MPa and 0.048 W / m·K, respectively, which were increased by 13.22% and decreased by 80.80% compared with that of the blank sample, respectively. In other words, the introduction of potassium titanate whisker can significantly improve the compressive strength and thermal insulation performance of the porous geopolymer. The above research provides a creative opportunity for fabrication of novel thermal insulation materials.