Influence of different grinding degrees of fly ash on properties and reaction degrees of geopolymers

This study reports the preparation of geopolymers with a mechanical performance similar to that of cement at room temperature by ground fly ash mixed with a small amount of cement. The grinding time of fly ash raw materials was 0,20,40 and 60 min, respectively. The influence of the grinding degree of the fly ash on the properties and the reaction degree of the geopolymer were investigated by XRD, SEM, EDS, and mercury compression tests. The reaction degree of the fly ash geopolymer was quantified by the selective dissolution method. Increasing the grinding degree of fly ash significantly increased the compressive strength of the geopolymer and the density of the microstructure of materials also increased. Furthermore, porosity and the average pore size decreased and the proportion of small holes in the pores gradually increased. The calculation results were in coincidence with the compressive strength test and the micro-performance test of the material, thus indicating that the selective dissolution method can reflect the influence of the grinding degree on the reaction degree of the geopolymer. Furthermore, the reaction degree of the geopolymer increased as the grinding degree of the fly ash increased. However, the growth rate of the reaction degree for the geopolymer slowed down when the fly ash was ground for more than 40 min.

Automated summary

This study prepared geopolymers with similar mechanical performance to cement by mixing ground fly ash with a small amount of cement. The influence of fly ash grinding degree on the properties and reaction degree of the geopolymer was investigated. The results showed that increasing the grinding degree of fly ash significantly improved the compressive strength of the geopolymer and increased the microstructure density of the materials. Furthermore, the reaction degree of the geopolymer increased as the grinding degree of the fly ash increased, but the growth rate slowed down when the grinding time exceeded 40 minutes.