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Impact of sodium sulfate solution on mechanical properties and structure of fly ash based geopolymers

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Abstract

In this paper, geopolymers based on two different fly ash samples were exposed to sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) solution (50 g/l) over a period of 365 days. It was found that sulfate solution attack caused a small decrease in strength of geopolymer mortars. Analysis of the Na2SO4 solutions by optical emission spectroscopy indicated that exposing of the geopolymer samples to the Na2SO4 solution had caused leaching of one of the elements of the aluminosilicate gel, silicon. Mineralogical analyses of geopolymer samples did not show formation of any new phases due to a reaction with sulfate ions. Changes in aluminosilicate geopolymer gel due to sulfate attack were investigated by electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. It was found that treatment of geopolymer samples with the sulfate solution caused breaking of –Si–O–Si– bonds in aluminosilicate gel structure. Breaking of the –Si–O–Si– bonds and leaching of Si were consequences of the increase in the pH value of sulfate solution during testing.

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Acknowledgments

This work was carried out within the Project TR34026 funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia. Authors are grateful to Dr. Aleksandra Rosić (Faculty of Mining and Geology, Belgrade University) for XRD analyses, Ljiljana Miličić (Institute for testing materials Serbia) for XRF analyses, MSc Ivona Janković-Častvan (Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade University) for porosity measurements and Prof. Miroslav Nikolić (Plant and Soil Laboratory, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research) for ICP-OES analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11030, Belgrade, Serbia

    Zvezdana Baščarević, Miroslav Komljenović, Violeta Nikolić & Nataša Marjanović

  2. Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Zoran Miladinović

  3. Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Rada Petrović

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  1. Zvezdana Baščarević
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  2. Miroslav Komljenović
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  3. Zoran Miladinović
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  4. Violeta Nikolić
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  5. Nataša Marjanović
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  6. Rada Petrović
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Correspondence to Zvezdana Baščarević.

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Baščarević, Z., Komljenović, M., Miladinović, Z. et al. Impact of sodium sulfate solution on mechanical properties and structure of fly ash based geopolymers. Mater Struct 48, 683–697 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-014-0325-4

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