Next Article in Journal
Surface Hardening of Zr-1.0Sn-1.0Nb-0.3Fe Alloy Induced by Laser Surface Remelting
Previous Article in Journal
In Situ Constructing Highly Aligned Ribbon-like PHBV Lamellae in PBAT: Towards Strong, Ductile and High-Barrier PBAT/PHBV Films
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Materials
Volume 18
Issue 17
10.3390/ma18173946
materials-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Development of Alternative Porous Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cements as Thermal Insulating Materials

by
Jessica Giro-Paloma
1,
Jofre Mañosa
1,
Alex Maldonado-Alameda
2,
Anna Alfocea-Roig
1,
Sergio Huete-Hernández
3,
Josep Maria Chimenos
1,* and
Joan Formosa
1,*
1
Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès, 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
2
Fundación Centro Tecnológico de Investigación Multisectorial (CETIM), Parque Empresarial de Alvedro, 20, 15180 Culleredo, Spain
3
Departament d’Enginyeria Civil i Ambiental, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Jordi Girona, 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2025, 18(17), 3946; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18173946
Submission received: 18 July 2025 / Revised: 15 August 2025 / Accepted: 19 August 2025 / Published: 22 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Thermal Insulation Materials in Green Buildings)
Browse Figure
Versions Notes

Abstract

Magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC), a type of chemically bonded phosphate ceramic (CBPC), presents a promising alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). This study focuses on developing sustainable MKPC (sust-MKPC) as a thermally passive material for building applications. A low-grade magnesium oxide (LG-MgO) industrial by-product was utilized to formulate sust-MKPC, with hydrogen peroxide employed as an air-entraining agent (AEA) to induce high porosity and enhance thermal insulation while supporting sustainability goals by reducing energy consumption in climate control systems. Seven formulations incorporating varying hydrogen peroxide contents (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt.%) were prepared to evaluate the impact of AEA on the thermal and physicomechanical properties. Comprehensive characterization, including porosity and thermal conductivity measurements, revealed that increasing the AEA content significantly improved thermal inertia and lowered thermal conductivity due to porosity. However, this enhancement was accompanied by a marked reduction in mechanical strength and density, highlighting the trade-off between thermal performance and structural integrity in porous sust-MKPC formulations.
Keywords: MKPC; hydrogen peroxide; porosity; thermal insulation; thermal conductivity MKPC; hydrogen peroxide; porosity; thermal insulation; thermal conductivity
Graphical Abstract

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Giro-Paloma, J.; Mañosa, J.; Maldonado-Alameda, A.; Alfocea-Roig, A.; Huete-Hernández, S.; Chimenos, J.M.; Formosa, J. Development of Alternative Porous Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cements as Thermal Insulating Materials. Materials 2025, 18, 3946. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18173946

AMA Style

Giro-Paloma J, Mañosa J, Maldonado-Alameda A, Alfocea-Roig A, Huete-Hernández S, Chimenos JM, Formosa J. Development of Alternative Porous Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cements as Thermal Insulating Materials. Materials. 2025; 18(17):3946. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18173946

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giro-Paloma, Jessica, Jofre Mañosa, Alex Maldonado-Alameda, Anna Alfocea-Roig, Sergio Huete-Hernández, Josep Maria Chimenos, and Joan Formosa. 2025. "Development of Alternative Porous Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cements as Thermal Insulating Materials" Materials 18, no. 17: 3946. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18173946

APA Style

Giro-Paloma, J., Mañosa, J., Maldonado-Alameda, A., Alfocea-Roig, A., Huete-Hernández, S., Chimenos, J. M., & Formosa, J. (2025). Development of Alternative Porous Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cements as Thermal Insulating Materials. Materials, 18(17), 3946. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18173946

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop