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Research on Alkali-Activated Materials (Second Edition)
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Research on Alkali-Activated Materials (Second Edition)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 1808

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Feng Rao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Zijin Mining, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: geopolymer; alkali-activated materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hui Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
Interests: alkali-activated materials; Geopolymer; recycled concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Alkali-activated materials are a kind of cementitious materials generated by the reaction of solid silicate waste (slag, fly ash, kaolinite, etc.) with pozzolanic activity or potential hydraulic properties and an alkaline activator, such as alkali-aluminosilicate vitreous, alkali-fired clay, alkali-ore tailings, and alkali-calcium carbonate. Their advantages include a simple preparation, low costs, easy access to raw materials, low energy consumption, green environmental protection, high strength, and good durability, among others, making them an ideal substitute for Portland cement. As low-carbon materials, they have become a research focus and hot topic in major countries around the world. However, due to the complex sourcing of raw materials, the high content of alkali activators, and the lack of applicable additives, the use of alkali-activated materials is still limited in practical engineering.

To promote the application of alkali-activated materials, we are pleased to invite researchers from all over the world to investigate them.

This Special Issue aims to highlight original findings on alkali-activated materials, alongside potential perspectives for future investigations.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reports, and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Feng Rao
Dr. Hui Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • alkali-activated materials
  • alkali activators
  • mixing proportion design
  • mechanical performance and durability
  • reaction mechanism
  • modification
  • additives
  • carbon analysis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5511 KiB  
Article
Influence and Mechanism of Coal Gangue Sand on the Properties and Microstructure of Shotcrete Mortar
by Yong Cui
Materials 2025, 18(9), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18091940 - 24 Apr 2025
Viewed by 122
Abstract
Coal gangue, a fine aggregate for the preparation of shotcrete mortar, is a cost-effective approach for the resource utilization of coal gangue. This study employed a mortar setting time tester, electronic universal testing machine, water absorption tester, nitrogen adsorption–desorption instrument (BET), X-ray diffraction [...] Read more.
Coal gangue, a fine aggregate for the preparation of shotcrete mortar, is a cost-effective approach for the resource utilization of coal gangue. This study employed a mortar setting time tester, electronic universal testing machine, water absorption tester, nitrogen adsorption–desorption instrument (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and life cycle assessment (LCA) to investigate the effects and mechanisms of replacing natural sand with coal gangue sand (0–100%) under water-to-binder ratios of 0.4 and 0.55 on the macroscopic properties, microstructure, and environmental impact of shotcrete mortar. The results showed that the porous nature of coal gangue sand increased the porosity of shotcrete mortar and reduced its compressive strength. However, its water absorption effectively decreased the effective water-to-binder ratio, significantly shortening the initial setting time. At a water-to-binder ratio of 0.55, as the replacement ratio of coal gangue sand increased from 0% to 100%, the porosity of shotcrete mortar increased by approximately 30%, the compressive strength decreased by about 40%, and the initial setting time was shortened by 57%. When the water-to-binder ratio was reduced to 0.4 and the replacement ratio of coal gangue sand was 50%, the shotcrete mortar met the application requirements of M20 shotcrete mortar, with an initial setting time of less than 12 min and a compressive strength of over 23 MPa after 28 days of water curing. Microstructural analysis revealed that the absorbed water in coal gangue sand played an internal curing role during cement hardening, improving the compactness of the interfacial transition zone. Environmental assessment results indicated that, under the same strength conditions, the life cycle environmental impact of coal gangue sand shotcrete mortar was approximately 70% lower than that of natural sand shotcrete mortar. This study provides a theoretical basis for the efficient resource utilization of coal gangue and the preparation of low-carbon shotcrete mortar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Alkali-Activated Materials (Second Edition))
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17 pages, 5096 KiB  
Article
Effect of Polypropylene and Straw Fiber Materials on the Unconfined Compressive Strength of Tailings and Wasted Stone Mixed Backfill
by Xiuzhi Shi, Yuan Shi, Xin Chen and Wenyang Wang
Materials 2025, 18(2), 392; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18020392 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 534
Abstract
Ensuring the mechanical performance of backfill materials while reducing cementation costs is a key challenge in mine backfill research. To address this, fiber materials such as polypropylene (PP) fiber and rice straw (RS) fiber have been incorporated into cement-based mixtures for mine backfilling. [...] Read more.
Ensuring the mechanical performance of backfill materials while reducing cementation costs is a key challenge in mine backfill research. To address this, fiber materials such as polypropylene (PP) fiber and rice straw (RS) fiber have been incorporated into cement-based mixtures for mine backfilling. This study investigates the effects of PP and RS fibers on the mechanical properties, flow characteristics, and microstructure of Tailings and Wasted Stone Mixed Backfill (TWSMB). A series of orthogonal experiments were designed to evaluate the influence of variables, including the cement–sand ratio, solid mass concentration, wasted stone mass concentration, fiber content, and fiber length on the TWSMB properties. The results indicate that the influence of cement–sand ratio and solid mass concentration have a more significant impact on strength than fibers, though the fibers show a stronger effect than the wasted stone mass concentration. Both fiber types enhanced the strength of the specimens, with PP fiber exhibiting a stronger reinforcing effect than RS fiber. Furthermore, the effect of PP fiber content was more pronounced than that of fiber length, whereas the opposite trend was observed for RS fiber. The optimum fiber parameter levels were determined for each type: PP fiber performed best at a mass concentration of 1.5% and a length of 6 mm, while RS fiber showed optimal performance at a mass concentration of 1.0% and a length of 5–10 mm. Macroscopic damage analysis indicated that the structural integrity and residual compressive strength of the TWSMB specimens were preserved even after surpassing the ultimate compressive strength, due to the crack-bridging effect of the fibers. Microstructural analysis showed that PP fiber-reinforced specimens exhibited a dense structure formed through reactions with other hydration products. In contrast, the surface of RS fibers was nearly fully encapsulated by hydration products, resulting in the formation of a physical skeleton structure. This study provides new insights into minimizing cement consumption and reducing backfilling costs in mining operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Alkali-Activated Materials (Second Edition))
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14 pages, 4452 KiB  
Article
Visualising Geopolymerisation Processes Using Scanning X-Ray Diffraction and Fluorescence Microscopy
by Grant A. van Riessen, Gerard N. Hinsley, Cameron M. Kewish and Arie van Riessen
Materials 2024, 17(23), 5896; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17235896 - 2 Dec 2024
Viewed by 722
Abstract
In situ observation of the dissolution of metakaolin followed by the condensation of geopolymer was performed by a combination of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy and scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy. New insight into the complex geopolymerisation process was obtained by simultaneously acquiring compositional and [...] Read more.
In situ observation of the dissolution of metakaolin followed by the condensation of geopolymer was performed by a combination of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy and scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy. New insight into the complex geopolymerisation process was obtained by simultaneously acquiring compositional and morphological information. The combination of selected alkali and experimental conditions produced a geopolymer with the targeted composition but resulted in the complete and rapid dissolution of metakaolin followed by immediate geopolymer formation. The geopolymer microstructure continued to evolve, along with pore growth, over several hours. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Alkali-Activated Materials (Second Edition))
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