Characterizations and quantitative estimation of alkali-activated binder paste from microstructures
Open accessAbstract
Alkali-activated binder (AAB) is recently being considered as a sustainable alternative to portland cement (PC) due to its low carbon dioxide emission and diversion of industrial wastes and by-products such as fly ash and slag from landfills. In order to comprehend the behavior of AAB, detailed knowledge on relations between microstructure and mechanical properties are important. To address the issue, a new approach to characterize hardened pastes of AAB containing fly ash as well as those containing fly ash and slag was adopted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectra microanalyses. The volume stoichiometries of the alkali activation reactions were used to estimate the quantities of the sodium aluminosilicate (N–A–S–H) and calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) produced by these reactions. The 3D plots of Si/Al, Na/Al and Ca/Si atom ratios given by the microanalyses were compared with the estimated quantities of CSH(S) to successfully determine the unique chemical compositions of the N–A–S–H and CSH(S) for ten different AAB at three different curing temperatures using a constrained nonlinear least squares optimization formulation by general algebraic modeling system. The results show that the theoretical and experimental quantities of N–A–S–H and CSH(S) were in close agreement with each other. The R 2 values were 0.99 for both alkali-activated fly ash and alkali-activated slag binders.
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The heterodyne peaks between diffraction angles 20°-30° (2θ) are attributed to disordered structures and highly amorphous contents such as the reaction products C-S-H and (C,N)-A-S-H.
“The presence of heterodyne peaks between diffraction angles 20°-30° (2θ) is attributed to disordered structures and highly amorphous contents (i.e., reaction products such as C-S-H and (C,N)-A-S-H [24,39].”
From Expansive Soil Stabilization Using Alkali-Activated Fly Ash (2023) · cites this paper as [39]
Section 3 (page unavailable) says an XRD hump or shoulder indicates amorphous phases and that small peaks in slag-containing samples indicate amorphous C-S-H. The copy does not place those features at 20°–30° (2θ) or identify a (C,N)-A-S-H product. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredBeidellite is formed by the presence of Ca2+ and Na+ cations in the reaction during alkali activation.
“Beidellite ((Na, Ca)Al2Si4O10(OH)2) is formed by the presence of Ca 2+ and Na + cations in the reaction during alkali activation [39].”
From Expansive Soil Stabilization Using Alkali-Activated Fly Ash (2023) · cites this paper as [39]
The Summary and Conclusions (section 5; page unavailable) identify sodium aluminosilicate gel, calcium silicate hydrate, and several crystalline phases, but do not mention beidellite. Searches for “beidellite” and its stated formula found no passage linking its formation to Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ during alkali activation. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Kim, G. M., Jang, J. G., Naeem, F., & Lee, H. K. (2015) · International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials · doi:10.1007/s40069-015-0111-x · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Expansive Soil Stabilization Using Alkali-Activated Fly Ash
Wang, H., Liu, T., Yan, C., & Wang, J. (2023) · Processes · doi:10.3390/pr11051550 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kar, A., Ray, I., Halabe, U. B., Unnikrishnan, A., & Dawson-Andoh, B.
- Affiliations
- West Virginia University (US)
- Purdue University Northwest (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kar, Arkamitra
- Venue
- International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
- Published
- 2014-07-12
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 213-228
- ISSN
- 1976-0485 (ISSN-L)
- 2234-1315
- OpenAlex
- W1972933830
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 5.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- West Virginia University
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Concrete and Cement Materials Research
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Inorganic Chemistry › Zeolite Catalysis and Synthesis
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Stabilization
- Keywords
- alkali-activated binders, alkali-activated fly ash, alkali-activated slag, sodium aluminosilicate, calcium silicate hydrate, curing temperature, microstructure-property relationship, low-carbon cement alternatives
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