Microstructure, Compressive Strength and Sound Insulation Property of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymeric Foams with Silica Fume as Foaming Agent

Geopolymer as an alternative to cement has gained increasing attention. The aim of this article is to study the influence of the silica fume content and activator type on the porous fly ash-based geopolymer with silica fume as foaming agent. Geopolymeric foams were fabricated using low-calcium fly ash, silica fume, and sodium-based alkaline activator as initial materials. The designed silica fume contents were 0, 15, 30, and 45 wt % and two kinds of activators of water glass and sodium hydroxide were used for comparison. Phase composition, microstructure, mechanical properties and sound insulation properties of as-prepared bulks were systematically investigated. It was found that, with increasing silica fume content, the density and compressive strength decreased simultaneously, whereas the porosity and sound insulation performance were effectively enhanced. At the silica fume content of 45% with sodium hydroxide as activator, the porosity was increased 3.02 times, and, at the silica fume content of 45% with water glass as activator, the mean sound insulation value of 43.74 dB was obtained.