Effect of silica fume and alumina addition on the mechanical and microstructure of fly ash geopolymer concrete

This paper discussed the effect of the addition of silica fume (2 wt.% and 4 wt.%) and alumina (2 wt.% and 4 wt.%) on the properties of fly ash geopolymer concrete. The fly ash geopolymer concrete achieved the highest 28-day compressive strength with 2 wt.% of silica fume (39 MPa) and 4 wt.% of alumina (41 MPa). The addition of 2 wt.% of silica fume increased the compressive strength by 105% with respect to the reference geopolymer (without additive). On the other hand, the compressive strength surged by 115% with 4 wt.% of alumina compared to the reference geopolymer. The addition of additives improved the compactness of the geopolymer matrix according to the morphology analysis.