Geopolymer

Geopolymers are a class of aluminosilicate materials with potential applications for Greenhouse gas emission minimisation and niche applications, and also as an advanced material for use in fire-proof composites and refractories. As one of the best alternatives for Portland cement, these materials maintain comparable and even better performance to traditional cementitious binders and need only moderate energy to produce. They also can provide added advantage of 80% or greater reduction of greenhouse gases compared with Portland cement. Geopolymers could be produced based on waste or by-products from industries, which can bring the building industry a step further in tailoring more sustainable and carbon free materials. In the Netherlands, the utilization of Geopoolymer is recommended by the CUR committee as one of the 7 high potentials actions towards the Dutch initiatives on further lowering the CO2 footprint of concrete.

Our study on Geopolymer covers raw materials characterization, alkaline activation to the properties and performance of geopolymer binders. We are also eager to promote the engineering application of this kind of material with industrial partners.

Dr. Guang Ye