Modulation of Inorganic Matrices for Functional Nanoarchitectures Fabrication: The Simultaneous Effect of Moisture and Temperature in the Preparation of Metakaolin Based Geopolymers

• Published in: Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan 2018-07, Vol.91 (7), p.1158-1167
• Main Authors: Fardjaoui, Nor-El-Houda, Wicklein, Bernd, Aranda, Pilar, Sobrados, Isabel, El Berrichi, Fatima Zohra, Ruiz-Hitzky, Eduardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminosilicates; Aluminum silicates; Copper; Differential thermal analysis; Geopolymers; Heavy metals; Humidity; Mechanical properties; Metakaolin; Modulation; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Organic chemistry; Porous materials
• ISSN: 0009-2673; 1348-0634
• DOI: 10.1246/bcsj.20180050

The concept of geopolymerization has usually been applied to develop structural materials endowed with mechanical properties and other characteristics of interest in building and related applications. With the aim to show the role of these inorganic polymers in the modulation of functional nanoarchitectures, this contribution introduces a study on the effect of simultaneously controlled humidity and temperature adopted in view to produce nanostructured geopolymers derived from metakaolin for functional applications. Geopolymer samples were prepared by dissolving high-quality metakaolin in water-glass solutions then cured and dried using well controlled humidity and temperature conditions for different aging times. Characterization of the resulting porous aluminosilicate materials was carried out by XRD, FTIR, NMR, thermal analyses (TG-DTA), FE-SEM and specific surface area (SBET) among other techniques. Chemical stability, mechanical properties and sorption ability have been investigated with the aim to further explore their potential functional applications. Incorporation of polymers, such as alginic acid, yields functional nanorachitectures that display ability for removal of heavy metal ions in solution (e.g. Cu2+).