CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 22Concrete and Cement Materials ResearchMaterials Engineering and ProcessingRecycling and utilization of industrial and municipal waste in materials production

The DOI matches its Crossref record; the references it cites are not checked yet.

Study on the Macroscopic Properties and Microstructure of High Fly Ash Content Alkali-Activated Fly Ash Slag Concrete Cured at Room Temperature

Open access
Yuan, Zhu, Jia, Yanmin, Xie, Xuanben, Xu, Junming·2025·Materials
DOI 10.3390/ma18030547PMC PMC11818435
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag are both bulk industrial solid wastes. Using these two raw materials to completely replace cement and prepare alkali-activated fly ash slag concrete (AAFSC) at room temperature can not only efficiently utilize industrial solid waste and reduce the carbon footprint, but also reduce the economic cost and technical difficulty of construction, which is of great significance for promoting the sustainable development of the concrete industry. In this article, the content of fly ash accounted for 80% of the total precursor (fly ash + slag), and a mixed solution of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide was used as alkali activator to prepare AAFSC by curing at room temperature. The effects of alkali equivalent and activator modulus on compressive strength, impermeability, water absorption, and microstructure were systematically studied and compared with ordinary Portland cement concrete. The conclusions drawn were as follows. The 7-day compressive strength of AAFSC was lower than that of cement concrete, while its 28-day compressive strength was 104.86% to 131.94% of that of cement concrete. AAFSC exhibited excellent impermeability protection performance. The water absorption rate of AAFSC was lower, with A8M1 having a water absorption rate of 2.13%, which was only 60.86% of cement concrete. Through microscopic analysis, it was found that the alkali-activated fly ash slag cementitious matrix had good bonding with the aggregate, and there existed fly ash particles with different degrees of reaction. The Ca/Si value of AAFSC was smaller than that of cement concrete.

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3390/ma18030547

Cites

Statistics

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet

References 47 · Cited by 22

Research works printed but not linked: 47

  1. Joseph, 2012, Influence of aggregate content on the behavior of fly ash based geopolymer concrete, Entia Iran., 19, 1188, 10.1016/j.scient.2012.07.006 · DOI
  2. Rafeet, 2019, Effects of slag substitution on physical and mechanical properties of fly ash-based alkali activated binders (AABs), Cem. Concr. Res., 122, 118, 10.1016/j.cemconres.2019.05.003 · DOI
  3. Nath, 2014, Effect of GGBFS on setting, workability and early strength properties of fly ash geopolymer concrete cured in ambient condition, Constr. Build. Mater., 66, 163, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.05.080 · DOI
  4. Rafeet, 2017, Guidelines for mix proportioning of fly ash/GGBS based alkali activated concretes, Constr. Build. Mater., 147, 130, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.04.036 · DOI
  5. Deb, 2014, The effects of ground granulated blast-furnace slag blending with fly ash and activator content on the workability and strength properties of geopolymer concrete cured at ambient temperature, Mater. Des., 62, 32, 10.1016/j.matdes.2014.05.001 · DOI
  6. Athira, 2021, Influence of different curing methods on mechanical and durability properties of alkali activated binders, Constr. Build. Mater., 299, 123963, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.123963 · DOI
  7. Kim, T., and Kang, C. (2021). Investigation of the Effect of Mixing Time on the Mechanical Properties of Alkali-Activated Cement Mixed with Fly Ash and Slag. Materials, 14. · DOI
  8. Alrefaei, 2021, Effect of mixing method on the performance of alkali-activated fly ash/slag pastes along with polycarboxylate admixture, Cem. Concr. Compos., 117, 103917, 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2020.103917 · DOI
  9. Jang, 2014, Fresh and hardened properties of alkali-activated fly ash/slag pastes with superplasticizers, Constr. Build. Mater., 50, 169, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.09.048 · DOI
  10. de Hita, M.J., and Criado, M. (2022). Influence of the Fly Ash Content on the Fresh and Hardened Properties of Alkali-Activated Slag Pastes with Admixtures. Materials, 15. · DOI
  11. Ghiassi, 2018, Effect of curing conditions on the pore solution and carbonation resistance of alkali-activated fly ash and slag pastes, Cem. Concr. Res., 116, 146
  12. Yang, 2018, Effect of fly ash microsphere on the rheology and microstructure of alkali-activated fly ash/slag pastes, Cem. Concr. Res., 109, 198, 10.1016/j.cemconres.2018.04.008 · DOI
  13. Wang, 2021, Fresh and hardened properties of alkali-activated fly ash/slag binders: Effect of fly ash source, surface area, and additives, J. Sustain. Cem.-Based Mater., 11, 239
  14. Shehab, 2021, Effect of curing regime on the performance and microstructure characteristics of alkali-activated slag-fly ash blended concrete, J. Sustain. Cem.-Based Mater., 10, 289
  15. Rodrigue, 2018, Influence of added water and fly ash content on the characteristics, properties and early-age cracking sensitivity of alkali-activated slag/fly ash concrete cured at ambient temperature, Constr. Build. Mater., 171, 929, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.03.176 · DOI
  16. Aiken, 2021, Mechanical and durability properties of alkali-activated fly ash concrete with increasing slag content, Constr. Build. Mater., 301, 124330, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.124330 · DOI
  17. Bondar, 2019, Suitability of alkali activated slag/fly ash (AA-GGBS/FA) concretes for chloride environments: Characterisation based on mix design and compliance testing, Constr. Build. Mater., 216, 612, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.05.043 · DOI
  18. Lee, 2013, Setting and mechanical properties of alkali-activated fly ash/slag concrete manufactured at room temperature, Constr. Build. Mater., 47, 1201, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.05.107 · DOI
  19. Tognonvi, 2019, Durability study of AAMs: Sulfate attack resistance, Constr. Build. Mater., 229, 117100, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117100 · DOI
  20. Mukherjee, 2020, A Hybrid Microwave NDE System for Rapid Inspection of GFRP Composites, Mater. Eval., 78, 963
  21. Shi, 2021, AI-Enabled Robotic NDE for Structural Damage Assessment and Repair, Mater. Eval., 79, 1849286
  22. Shi, 2020, Multi-modality strain estimation using a rapid near-field microwave imaging system for dielectric materials, Measurement, 151, 107243, 10.1016/j.measurement.2019.107243 · DOI
  23. Wang, 2020, Study on the optimum initial curing condition for fly ash and GGBS based geopolymer recycled aggregate concrete, Constr. Build. Mater., 247, 118540, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.118540 · DOI
  24. Xie, 2019, Physicochemical properties of alkali activated GGBS and fly ash geopolymeric recycled concrete, Constr. Build. Mater., 204, 384, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.01.191 · DOI
  25. Rodrigue, 2020, Alkali-silica reaction in alkali-activated combined slag and fly ash concretes: The tempering effect of fly ash on expansion and cracking, Constr. Build. Mater., 251, 118968, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.118968 · DOI
  26. Keulen, 2018, Effect of admixture on the pore structure refinement and enhanced performance of alkali-activated fly ash-slag concrete, Constr. Build. Mater., 162, 27, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.11.136 · DOI
  27. Yuan, Z., Jia, Y., Sun, J., Zhang, X., Hu, Y., and Han, X. (2024). Study on the Properties of High Fly Ash Content Alkali-Activated Fly Ash Slag Pastes and Fiber-Reinforced Mortar Under Normal Temperature Curing. Materials, 17. · DOI
  28. Yuan, 2020, Mechanical properties and microstructure of glass fiber and polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete: An experimental study, Constr. Build. Mater., 266, 121048, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.121048 · DOI
  29. Provis, J.L., and Deventer, J. (2014). Alkali Activated Materials, Springer. · DOI
  30. Gorokhovsky, 2006, Cementitious composites of pulverised fuel ash and blast furnace slag activated by sodium silicate: Effect of Na2O concentration and modulus, Adv. Appl. Ceram., 105, 201, 10.1179/174367606X120151 · DOI
  31. Hannawi, 2016, Effect of different types of fibers on the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of Ultra-High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concretes, Compos. Part B, 86, 214, 10.1016/j.compositesb.2015.09.059 · DOI
  32. Yu, 2018, Relationship between water permeability and pore structure of Portland cement paste blended with fly ash, Constr. Build. Mater., 175, 458, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.147 · DOI
  33. Behfarnia, 2014, Application of high performance polypropylene fibers in concrete lining of water tunnels, Mater. Des., 55, 274, 10.1016/j.matdes.2013.09.075 · DOI
  34. Powers, 1945, A working hypothesis for further studies of frost resistance of concrete, J. Am. Concr. Inst., 16, 245
  35. Izaguirre, 2010, Effect of a polypropylene fibre on the behaviour of aerial lime-based mortars, Constr. Build. Mater., 25, 992, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2010.06.080 · DOI
  36. Fallah, 2017, Mechanical properties and durability of high-strength concrete containing macro-polymeric and polypropylene fibers with nano-silica and silica fume, Constr. Build. Mater., 132, 170, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.11.100 · DOI
  37. Yuan, Z., and Jia, Y. (2022). Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties, Water Absorption, and Fiber Degradation of Naturally Aged Glass Fiber and Polypropylene Fiber-Reinforced Concrete. Materials, 15. · DOI
  38. Afroughsabet, 2015, Mechanical and durability properties of high-strength concrete containing steel and polypropylene fibers, Constr. Build. Mater., 94, 73, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.06.051 · DOI
  39. Radlinska, 2016, Fly ash-slag interaction during alkaline activation: Influence of activators on phase assemblage and microstructure formation, Constr. Build. Mater., 122, 594, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.06.099 · DOI
  40. Mehta, 2020, Fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag-based alkali-activated concrete: Mechanical, transport and microstructural properties, Constr. Build. Mater., 257, 119548, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119548 · DOI
  41. Celikten, 2019, Mechanical and microstructural properties of alkali-activated slag and slag + fly ash mortars exposed to high temperature, Constr. Build. Mater., 217, 50, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.05.055 · DOI
  42. Fang, 2019, The evolution of interfacial transition zone in alkali-activated fly ash-slag concrete, Cem. Concr. Res., 129, 105963, 10.1016/j.cemconres.2019.105963 · DOI
  43. Fang, 2021, Micromechanical analysis of interfacial transition zone in alkali-activated fly ash-slag concrete, Cem. Concr. Compos., 119, 103990, 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2021.103990 · DOI
  44. Ryu, 2013, The mechanical properties of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete with alkaline activators, Constr. Build. Mater., 47, 409, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.05.069 · DOI · Paper page
  45. Kumar, 2010, Influence of granulated blast furnace slag on the reaction, structure and properties of fly ash based geopolymer, J. Mater. Sci., 45, 607, 10.1007/s10853-009-3934-5 · DOI
  46. Singh, 2016, Effect of activator concentration on the strength, ITZ and drying shrinkage of fly ash/slag geopolymer concrete, Constr. Build. Mater., 118, 171, 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.05.008 · DOI
  47. Bernal, 2013, Gel nanostructure in alkali-activated binders based on slag and fly ash, and effects of accelerated carbonation, Cem. Concr. Res., 53, 127, 10.1016/j.cemconres.2013.06.007 · DOI · Paper page

Metadata

Authors
Yuan, Z., Jia, Y., Xie, X., & Xu, J.
Affiliations
  • Northeast Forestry University (CN)
  • Qingdao Highway Development Center, Qingdao 266075, China
Corresponding author
Jia, Yanmin
ORCID
Venue
Materials
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2025-01-25
Volume
18
Issue
3
Pages
547
ISSN
1996-1944 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ma18030547
PMC
PMC11818435
OpenAlex
W4406869512
Cited by
22
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 9
FWCI
7.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Materials (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China (E2017003)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Concrete and Cement Materials Research
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Materials Engineering and Processing
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Recycling and utilization of industrial and municipal waste in materials production
Keywords
fly ash, granulated blast furnace slag, ambient curing, alkali equivalent, activator modulus, compressive strength, impermeability, water absorption, microstructure, Ca/Si ratio, cement replacement, industrial solid waste utilization, carbon footprint reduction

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

How to cite

Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.

This page
CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Study on the Macroscopic Properties and Microstructure of High Fly Ash Content Alkali-Activated Fly Ash Slag Concrete Cured at Room Temperature. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.3390/ma18030547
The paper
Yuan, Z., Jia, Y., Xie, X., & Xu, J. (2025). Study on the Macroscopic Properties and Microstructure of High Fly Ash Content Alkali-Activated Fly Ash Slag Concrete Cured at Room Temperature. Materials. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18030547