Behavior of alkali-activated coal ash basalt fiber-reinforced geopolymer nanocomposite incorporated with nano sodium oxide

This study has endeavored to examine the mechanical, microstructural, and toughness behavior of basalt fiber (BF)-reinforced coal ash-based geopolymers (GPL) nanocomposites utilizing diverse amounts of nano sodium oxide (NNA). The amount of micro-BF was kept fixed at 0.5% by the weight of the mixture. The results of the present research depicted that the use of 3% NNA was the most efficient in improving the mechanical, microstructure, and toughness efficiency of GPL nanocomposites. Scanned electron microscopy (SEM) depicted that the accumulation of NNA developed the interfacial zones and encouraged the polymerization reaction of the geopolymer, which improved the internal matrix and produced a higher-density GPL nanocomposite.

Automated summary

This study aims to investigate the effects of different amounts of nano sodium oxide (NNA) on the mechanical, microstructural, and toughness behavior of basalt fiber (BF)-reinforced coal ash-based geopolymers (GPL) nanocomposites. The amount of micro-BF was fixed at 0.5% by the weight of the mixture. The results of this study showed that the use of 3% NNA was the most effective in improving the mechanical, microstructural, and toughness efficiency of GPL nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the accumulation of NNA enhanced the interfacial zones and promoted the polymerization reaction of the geopolymer, resulting in a higher-density GPL nanocomposite.