Bulletin of the Chinese Ceramic Society, Volume. 44, Issue 6, 2181(2025)

Effect of Active Si/Al Ratios on Geopolymerization Reaction and Compressive Strength of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers

CUI Chao1, LUO Chenguang1, TAI Wenyu1, WANG Lan1、*, and PENG Hui2
Author Affiliations
  • 1Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Green Construction and Intelligent Operation and Maintenance of Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot 010051, China
  • 2National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Southern Regional Bridge Long-Term Performance Improvement Technology, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China
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    The active Si/Al ratios of metakaolin-based geopolymer raw materials are closely related to their mechanical properties. In this study, the content of active Si and active Al in metakaolin were determined by acid leaching-alkali dissolution method and the complexometric titration method. By adding active Si and active Al and employing characterization techniques such as XRD, FTIR, DSC-TG, and SEM, the effects of different active Si/Al ratios on the geopolymerization process and mechanical properties of metakaolin-based geopolymers were investigated from the perspectives of material composition and microstructure. The results show that the acid leaching-alkali dissolution method and the complexometric titration method can effectively quantitatively analyze the contents of active Al and active Si in metakaolin. With the increase of active Si/Al ratio, the 3 d compressive strength of the metakaolin-based geopolymer initially increases and then decreases. When the active Si/Al ratio is relatively low (0.4~0.8), the “encapsulation effect” in the metakaolin-based geopolymer system leads to an increase in unreacted aluminosilicates, and the structure with numerous pores and cracks, resulting in low compressive strength. When the Si/Al ratio is relatively high (2.2~2.4), the system forms zeolite structure and becomes a multiphase system, and the compressive strength is also low. When the active Si/Al ratio is 1.0, the degree of geopolymerization reaction is maximized, yielding the highest amount of gel phase and the best compressive strength, with a compressive strength of 33.7 MPa. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the regulation of the compressive strength in metakaolin-based geopolymers.

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    CUI Chao, LUO Chenguang, TAI Wenyu, WANG Lan, PENG Hui. Effect of Active Si/Al Ratios on Geopolymerization Reaction and Compressive Strength of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers[J]. Bulletin of the Chinese Ceramic Society, 2025, 44(6): 2181

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    Paper Information

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    Received: Nov. 5, 2024

    Accepted: Jul. 30, 2025

    Published Online: Jul. 30, 2025

    The Author Email: WANG Lan (2364748603@qq.com)

    DOI:10.16552/j.cnki.issn1001-1625.2024.1329

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