Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Publication
    Effect of the sintering mechanism on the crystallization kinetics of Geopolymer-Based ceramics
    ( 2023)
    Nur Bahijah Mustapa
    ;
    ; ; ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Ovidiu Nemes
    ;
    Petrica Vizureanu
    ;
    Christina W. Kartikowati
    ;
    Puput Risdanareni
    This research aims to study the effects of the sintering mechanism on the crystallization kinetics when the geopolymer is sintered at different temperatures: 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C, 1000 °C, and 1200 °C for a 3 h soaking time with a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The geopolymer is made up of kaolin and sodium silicate as the precursor and an alkali activator, respectively. Characterization of the nepheline produced was carried out using XRF to observe the chemical composition of the geopolymer ceramics. The microstructures and the phase characterization were determined by using SEM and XRD, respectively. The SEM micrograph showed the microstructural development of the geopolymer ceramics as well as identifying reacted/unreacted regions, porosity, and cracks. The maximum flexural strength of 78.92 MPa was achieved by geopolymer sintered at 1200 °C while the minimum was at 200 °C; 7.18 MPa. The result indicates that the flexural strength increased alongside the increment in the sintering temperature of the geopolymer ceramics. This result is supported by the data from the SEM micrograph, where at the temperature of 1000 °C, the matrix structure of geopolymer-based ceramics starts to become dense with the appearance of pores.
      3  24
  • Publication
    Geopolymer-based nepheline ceramics: effect of sintering profile on morphological characteristics and flexural strength
    ( 2022) ; ; ;
    Phakkhananan Pakawanit
    ;
    Petrica Vizureanu
    ;
    Arman Shah Abdullah
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Fakhryna Hannanee Ahmad Zaidi
    The focus of this study is the fabrication of innovative and sustainable ceramic-based geopolymer with improved low temperatures performances. Kaolin was mixed with liquid sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) and 12M of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution using alkali activator ratio of 0.24 and solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:1 to synthesize kaolin geopolymer. The effect of the sintering profile on the microstructure, pore evolution and flexural strength were investigated. The heating exposure aided consolidation and created a fairly uniform microstructure, resulting in a smooth surface texture. In comparison to the unheated geopolymer, 3D pore distribution showed a significant increase in the range size of ~30 µm with the appearance of isolated and intergranular pores. The flexural strength at 1200 °C with a heating rate of 5 °C/min and was increased by 146.4% to 85.4 MPa, as compared to the heating rate of 2 °C/min. The sintering process has an impact on the final microstructure formation thus improving the characteristic of geopolymer-based nepheline ceramic.
      3  42
  • Publication
    Crumb rubber geopolymer mortar at elevated temperature exposure
    ( 2022) ; ;
    Che Mohd Ruzaidi Ghazali
    ;
    ;
    Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya
    ;
    ;
    Mohammad A. Almadani
    ;
    Wysłocki, Jerzy J.
    ;
    Agata Åšliwa
    ;
    Andre Victor Sandu
    Low calcium fly ash is used as the main material in the mixture and the crumb rubber was used in replacing fine aggregates in geopolymer mortar. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) which were high alkaline solution were incorporated as the alkaline solution. The fly ash reacted with the alkaline solution forming alumino-silicate gel that binds the aggregate to produce a geopolymer mortar. The loading of crumb rubber in the fly ash based geopolymer mortar was set at 0%
      3  18
  • Publication
    Effect of sintering mechanism towards crystallization of geopolymer ceramic - a review
    (MDPI, 2023-05-31)
    Nur Bahijah Mustapa
    ;
    ; ; ;
    Nuttawit Wattanasakulpong
    ;
    Ovidiu NemeÈ™
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Petrica Vizureanu
    ;
    Ioan Gabriel Sandu
    ;
    Christina W. Kartikowati
    ;
    Puput Risdanareni
    Globally, there is an increasing need for ceramic materials that have a variety of applications in the environment, for precision tools, and for the biomedical, electronics, and environmental industries. However, in order to obtain remarkable mechanical qualities, ceramics have to be manufactured at a high temperature of up to 1600 °C over a long heating period. Furthermore, the conventional approach presents issues with agglomeration, irregular grain growth, and furnace pollution. Many researchers have developed an interest in using geopolymer to produce ceramic materials, focusing on improving the performances of geopolymer ceramics. In addition to helping to lower the sintering temperature, it also improves the strength and other properties of the ceramics. Geopolymer is a product of polymerization involving aluminosilicate sources such as fly ash, metakaolin, kaolin, and slag through activation using an alkaline solution. The sources of the raw materials, the ratio of the alkaline solution, the sintering time, the calcining temperature, the mixing time, and the curing time may have significant impacts on the qualities. Therefore, this review aims to study the effects of sintering mechanisms on the crystallization of geopolymer ceramics, concerning the strength achieved. A future research opportunity is also presented in this review.
      8  25
  • Publication
    Chemical distributions of different Sodium Hydroxide molarities on fly ash/dolomite-based geopolymer
    ( 2022) ; ; ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
    ;
    Petrica Vizureanu
    ;
    Omrane Benjeddou
    ;
    Afikah Rahim
    ;
    Masdiyana Ibrahim
    ;
    Ahmad Syauqi Sauffi
    Geopolymers are an inorganic material in an alkaline environment that is synthesized with alumina–silica gel. The structure of geopolymers consists of an inorganic chain of material and a covalent-bound molecular system. Currently, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) has caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions which causes greenhouse effects. This analysis investigates the impact on fly ash/dolomite-based-geopolymer with various molarities of sodium hydroxide solutions which are 6 M, 8 M, 10 M, 12 M and 14 M. The samples of fly ash/dolomite-based-geopolymer were prepared with the usage of solid to liquid of 2.0, by mass and alkaline activator ratio of 2.5, by mass. After that, the geopolymer was cast in 50 × 50 × 50 mm molds before testing after 7 days of curing. The samples were tested on compressive strength, density, water absorption, morphology, elemental distributions and phase analysis. From the results, the usage of 8 M of NaOH gave the optimum properties for the fly ash/dolomite-based geopolymer. The elemental distribution analysis exposes the Al, Si, Ca, Fe and Mg chemical distribution of the samples from the selected area. The distribution of the elements is related to the compressive strength and compared with the chemical composition of the fly ash and dolomite.
      1  18