Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - Theses

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The role of calcium in geopolymerisation

Yip, Christina Ka-Bik ( 2004)

The search for a new environmentally friendly construction material that will match the durability of ancient concrete has stimulated interest in geopolymerisation in recent times. Despite extensive research that has been conducted on various aspects of geopolymerisation, especially in enhancing the properties of resultant binders and understanding the chemical mechanisms involved, a number of questions remain to be answered. The role of calcium in geopolymerisation is one of them. It is known that the presence of a moderate amount of calcium in a geopolymeric binder will improve the resultant compressive strength. However, it is still unclear whether calcium will play a charge-balancing role within the aluminosilicate structure (to maintain electro-neutrality in a similar way as alkali metal cations, Na+ or K+, or perhaps an alternative role). In addition, the role of calcium in geopolymerisation is of great interest because it is proposed for the first time that calcium links geopolymer chemistry to, and distinguishes it from, ordinary Portland cement (OPC). (For complete abstract open document)