Vol. 23, No. 3 (2024), Mat24306 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Mat24306

Parametric analysis about the synthesis of metakaolin-based geopolymers

 

Authors

M.A. Montañez-Cervantes, R. Gonzalez-Nuñez, R. Huirache-Acuña, A.J. Castro-Montoya

Abstract

Geopolymers are materials synthesized from aluminosilicates activated by an alkaline agent, which leads to their setting and hardening, providing a material with excellent ceramic properties. The chemical formula of the geopolymers: Mn{-(SiO2)z-AlO2}nwH2O, where M is a cation, n is the polycondensation rate, z is the number of silicon units and w are water molecules present in the structure. The name of the material and its mechanical properties vary as a function of the number of silicon units. This research analyzes the effect of potassium hydroxide concentration and silicon units as variables in the application of the design of experiments (DoE) method, the mechanical properties of compressive strength and Young’s modulus were analyzed as a process response. The results showed that the geopolymer presented better mechanical properties of Young's modulus and compressive strength, when z = 2, in addition, an increase in compressive strength values was observed when increasing the molar concentration of the geopolymer mixture for z = 1 and z = 2. Finally, it was found that the highest compressive strength value is 31.03 ± 0.31 MPa for z = 2 and 14 M values, additionally, FTIR and XRD analyses were carried out to obtain information about physiochemistry properties.

Keywords

polysialates, ceramics, alkaline activation, inorganic materials, alternative cement, geopolymer.

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