Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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Mechanical performance, microstructure, and porosity evolution of fly ash geopolymer after ten years of curing age

2023 , Ikmal Hakem A. Aziz , Mohd. Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah , Rafiza Abd Razak , Zarina Yahya , Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh , Jitrin Chaiprapa , Catleya Rojviriya , Petrica Vizureanu , Andrei Victor Sandu , Muhammad Faheem Mohd. Tahir , Alida Abdullah , Liyana Jamaludin

This paper elucidates the mechanical performance, microstructure, and porosity evolution of fly ash geopolymer after 10 years of curing age. Given their wide range of applications, understanding the microstructure of geopolymers is critical for their long-term use. The outcome of fly ash geopolymer on mechanical performance and microstructural characteristics was compared between 28 days of curing (FA28D) and after 10 years of curing age (FA10Y) at similar mixing designs. The results of this work reveal that the FA10Y has a beneficial effect on strength development and denser microstructure compared to FA28D. The total porosity of FA10Y was also lower than FA28D due to the anorthite formation resulting in the compacted matrix. After 10 years of curing age, the 3D pore distribution showed a considerable decrease in the range of 5–30 µm with the formation of isolated and intergranular holes.

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Influence of sintering temperature of kaolin, slag, and fly ash geopolymers on the microstructure, phase analysis, and electrical conductivity

2021 , Nur Nadiah Izzati Zulkifli , Mohd. Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah , Anna Przybył , Paweł Pietrusiewicz , Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh , Ikmal Hakem Aziz , Dariusz Kwiatkowski , Marcin Gacek , Marek Gucwa , Jitrin Chaiprapa

This paper clarified the microstructural element distribution and electrical conductivity changes of kaolin, fly ash, and slag geopolymer at 900 °C. The surface microstructure analysis showed the development in surface densification within the geopolymer when in contact with sintering temperature. It was found that the electrical conductivity was majorly influenced by the existence of the crystalline phase within the geopolymer sample. The highest electrical conductivity (8.3 × 10−4 Ωm−1) was delivered by slag geopolymer due to the crystalline mineral of gehlenite (3Ca2Al2SiO7). Using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence, the high concentration Ca boundaries revealed the appearance of gehlenite crystallisation, which was believed to contribute to development of denser microstructure and electrical conductivity.

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Metakaolin/sludge based geopolymer adsorbent on high removal efficiency of Cu2+

2022 , Pilomeena Arokiasamy , Mohd. Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah , Shayfull Zamree Abd. Rahim , Mohd Remy Rozainy Mohd Arif Zainol , Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh , Marwan Kheimi , Jitrin Chaiprapa , Andrei Victor Sandu , Petrica Vizureanu , Rafiza Abd Razak , Noorina Hidayu Jamil

Activated carbon (AC) has received a lot of interest from researchers for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater due to its abundant porous structure. However, it was found unable to meet the required adsorption capacity due to its amorphous structure which restricts the fundamental studies and structural optimization for improved removal performance. In addition, AC is not applicable in large scale wastewater treatment due its expensive synthesis and difficulty in regeneration. Thus, the researchers are paying more attention in synthesis of low cost geopolymer based adsorbent for heavy metal removal due its excellent immobilization effect. However, limited studies have focused on the synthesis of geopolymer based adsorbent for heavy metal adsorption by utilizing industrial sludge. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop metakaolin (MK) based geopolymer adsorbent with incorporation of two types of industrial sludge (S1 and S3) that could be employed as an adsorbent for removing copper (Cu2+) from aqueous solution through the adsorption process. The effects of varied solid to liquid ratio (S/L) on the synthesis of metakaolin/sludge based geopolymer adsorbent and the removal efficiency of Cu2+ by the synthesis adsorbent were studied. The raw materials and synthesized geopolymer were characterized by using x-ray fluorescence (XRF), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and micro XRF. The concentration of Cu2+ before and after adsorption was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and the removal efficiency was calculated. The experimental data indicated that the synthesized geopolymer at low S/L ratio has achieved the highest removal efficiency of Cu2+ about 99.62 % and 99.37 % at 25 %:75 % of MK/S1 and 25 %:75 % of MK/S3 respectively compared to pure MK based geopolymer with 98.56 %. The best S/

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Influence of 1.5 wt.% Bi on the microstructure, hardness, and shear strength of Sn-0.7Cu solder joints after isothermal annealing

2021 , Mohd Izrul Izwan Ramli , Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh , Andrei Victor Sandu , Siti Farahnabilah Muhd Amli , Rita Mohd Said , Norainiza Saud , Mohd. Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah , Petrica Vizureanu , Adam Rylski , Jitrin Chaiprapa , Marcin Nabialek

This manuscript reports the isothermal annealing effect on the mechanical and microstructure characteristics of Sn-0.7Cu-1.5Bi solder joints. A detailed microstructure observation was carried out, including measuring the activation energy of the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer of the solder joints. Additionally, the synchrotron µX-ray fluorescence (XRF) method was adopted to precisely explore the elemental distribution in the joints. Results indicated that the Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn intermetallic layers thickness at the solder/Cu interface rises with annealing time at a rate of 0.042 µm/h for Sn-0.7Cu and 0.037 µm/h for Sn-0.7Cu-1.5Bi. The IMC growth’s activation energy during annealing is 48.96 kJ mol-1 for Sn-0.7Cu, while adding Bi into Sn-0.7Cu solder increased the activation energy to 55.76 kJ mol−1. The µ-XRF shows a lower Cu concentration level in Sn-0.7Cu-1.5Bi, where the Bi element was well dispersed in the β-Sn area as a result of the solid solution mechanism. The shape of the IMC layer also reconstructs from a scallop shape to a planar shape after the annealing process. The Sn-0.7Cu hardness and shear strength increased significantly with 1.5 wt.% Bi addition in reflowed and after isothermal annealing conditions.

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The influence of sintering temperature on the pore structure of an Alkali-Activated Kaolin-Based Geopolymer Ceramic

2022 , Mohd Izrul Izwan Ramli , Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh , Mohd. Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah , Ikmal Hakem Aziz , Tan Chi Ying , Noor Fifinatasha Shahedan , Winfried Kockelmann , Anna Fedrigo , Andrei Victor Sandu , Petrica Vizureanu , Jitrin Chaiprapa , Dumitru Doru Burduhos Nergis

Geopolymer materials are used as construction materials due to their lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared with conventional cementitious materials. An example of a geopolymer material is alkali-activated kaolin, which is a viable alternative for producing high-strength ceramics. Producing high-performing kaolin ceramics using the conventional method requires a high processing temperature (over 1200 °C). However, properties such as pore size and distribution are affected at high sintering temperatures. Therefore, knowledge regarding the sintering process and related pore structures on alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic is crucial for optimizing the properties of the aforementioned materials. Pore size was analyzed using neutron tomography, while pore distribution was observed using synchrotron micro-XRF. This study elucidated the pore structure of alkali-activated kaolin at various sintering temperatures. The experiments showed the presence of open pores and closed pores in alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic samples. The distributions of the main elements within the geopolymer ceramic edifice were found with Si and Al maps, allowing for the identification of the kaolin geopolymer. The results also confirmed that increasing the sintering temperature to 1100 °C resulted in the alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic samples having large pores, with an average size of ~80 µm3 and a layered porosity distribution.