Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960

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Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Application of central composite design to the optimization of fly

ash-based geopolymers
Erbao Ding a,b, Chune Cao a,⇑, Haiquan Hu a, Yunxia Chen a,⇑, Xilong Lu a
a
Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jiang Xi 333000, PR China
b
Pingdingshan University, Henan 467000, PR China

h i g h l i g h t s

Three-stage curing schedules under 80 °C, 120 °C and 250 °C are investigated.

Effects of the main factors and the interactions on bending strengths are studied.

New phase of ferrierite-Na is formed and increases the bending strength.

Designs of three progressive experimental methods.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The geological polymer materials were optimized by the central composite response surface method
Received 2 April 2019 (CCD-RSM). Based on the results of the Plackett-Burman experiment and the steepest ascent experiment,
Received in revised form 9 September 2019 four factors were selected that mainly affected the bending strengths of the samples: content of Na2SiO3,
Accepted 13 September 2019
curing time at 120 °C, curing time at 250 °C, ratio of fly ash to slag. The optimum values of the four vari-
Available online 23 September 2019
ables were as follows: curing time at 120 °C of 2.25 h, curing time at 250 °C of 2.32 h, Na2SiO3 content of
19.52% and a fly ash-to-slag ratio of 8.21. The measured bending strength of the optimized sample was
Keywords:
37.28 MPa. The new formation of needle-like ferrierite-Na observed in the XRD, SEM and FTIR analyses
Fly ash-based geopolymer
Bending strength
could increase the bending strengths of the samples, whereas trona-syn, which formed from excessive
Optimization alkali, was detrimental to the bending strengths of the samples.
Microstructure Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Central composite design-response surface method (CCD-RSM)

Industrial by-products, such as fly ash, slag and polishing resi-
due, activated in alkaline solutions have shown great potential as
replacements for Portland cement in recent years [1,2]. In 1972,
Davidovits [3] first reported new materials termed ‘‘geopolymers”,
which are inorganic non-metallic materials with amorphous or
quasi-crystalline structures and are charged balanced by alkali
metal ions in the activator [4]. Several factors, such as the alkaline
activator chemical composition, curing schedules and raw materi-
als, play pivotal roles in the development of bending strength of a
geopolymer [5,6]. The materials can not only make full use of indus-
trial solid waste but also have the advantages of a simple prepara-
tion process, low energy consumption, and low CO2 emissions [7].
Therefore, an increasing amount of research work has been directed
to the development of geopolymer materials since their discovery.
⇑ Corresponding authors.
E-mail addresses: tycce@163.com (C. Cao), chenyunxia@jci.edu.cn (Y. Chen).
is a kind of statistical method that can established a continuous
variable surface model to evaluate the factors and their interac-
tions on experimental results via fewer experiments, shorter cycles
and higher accuracy [8,9]. Therfore, modelling and optimization of
the main parameters that affect the bending strengths of geopoly-
mers were studied by using the CCD-RSM [10,11]. The related
codes of each factor are shown in Table 1 where b = 2k/4 and k is
the number of variables [12]. Xmax and Xmin are the maximum
and minimum values of the factors. The values of the variables
are coded as ±1 and ±a which represent the distance from the cen-
tre point and 0 represents the centre point [13].
The CCD-RSM is effective in medical and biological experiments
and is also applied in geopolymers [9,14]. The CCD-RSM requires
accurate central experimental point, which should be based on
the Plackett-Burman (PB) design and the steepest ascent experi-
ment in the statistical software Design-Expert 8.0. If these condi-
tions are not met, the results will not be a surface that can
obtain incorrect conclusions, as in the literature above. PB design
[15] is a two level factorial design for studying k = N  1 variables

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.116960
0950-0618/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2 E. Ding et al. / Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960
Table 1
Relationship between the coded and actual values of the factors [14].
Code Variable value
a Xmin
1 [(Xmax + Xmin)/2]  [(Xmax  Xmin)/2b]
0 (Xmax + Xmin)/2
+1 [(Xmax + Xmin)/2] + [(Xmax  Xmin)/2b]
+a Xmax
in N runs where N is a multiple of 4. This method can select the sig-
nificant factors from multifarious ones to avoid wasting experi-
mental resources. While the steepest ascent experiment can
approach the optimal experimental region rapidly and economi-
cally based on the changes of experimental results and effects val-
ues [16].
Although geopolymers have been studied for several decades,
the bending strengths of geopolymer samples are typically less
than 20 MPa [17,18]. Such materials could not be used in wall tiles
and some high value-added products. In addition, the curing
schedules of previous works were basically one-stage curing
schedule, and most of the curing temperatures were less than
100 °C [19–21]. There is little experimental data between 100 °C
and 250 °C. In this study, fly ash-based geopolymers were synthe-
sized. A CCD-RSM experiment was designed to analyse the factors
that influence the bending strengths of the geopolymer and to
determine the optimum combination. Changes in the bending
strengths of the samples under 80 °C, 120 °C and 250 °C are also
investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron micro-
scopy with energy dispersive spectrometry(SEM-EDS) and Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) were employed to analyse
the characteristics of the geopolymer.
2. Experimental approach
2.1. Raw materials
Fly ash and slag were obtained from Qingtang power station in
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China. The chemical compositions of
the materials determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) are pre-
sented in Table 2. Sodium hydroxide flakes (NaOH, 99% purity)
and sodium silicate solutions (Na2O = 8.89%, SiO2 = 27.81% and
water = 63.3% by mass) were the alkaline activators.
2.2. Sample preparation and characterization
The samples were prepared by the pressing method using a cal-
culated amount of fly ash, slag, sodium silicate and sodium hydrox-
ide. The mixtures were blended in the soybean milk machine for
2 min, and then the material mixtures were passed through a 40
mesh sieve. Bending strength tests were performed in triplicate
on the cured samples. The loading in the tests was controlled at
a constant displacement rate of 0.2 mm/min for the tests. The
phase compositions of the samples were determined by X-ray
diffraction (XRD) using a D8 Advance X-ray diffractometer
(German) with Cu-Ka radiation (k = 0.154 nm) at 40 kV and
100 mA. Moreover, the samples were measured at a scanning rate
of 6°/min in the 2h range of 5–70°. The chemical compositions of
the raw materials were characterized by XRF spectroscopy.
The microstructures of the samples were examined by scanning
Table 2
Chemical compositions of raw materials.
Na2O MgO Al2O3
Fly ash 0.30 0.65 29.13
Slag 0.39 0.44 32.38
electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy
(EDS). The infrared spectra at 400–4000 cm1 were recorded by
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Nicolet 5700) and
the KBr standard pellet method.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Analysis of the PB experiment and the steepest ascent experiment
The header design of the PB experiment is listed in Table 3.
The results and ANOVA for the bending strength are given in Tables 4
and 5, respectively. The p-value shows the significance of each fac-
tor. Factors with a p-values less than 0.05 are considered significant
and those with p-values greater than 0.05 are nonsignificant. If the
model is significant, * is marked in the corresponding position.
Table 5 shows that the P-value of the model is 0.0146, which
indicates that the model is effective and that four factors (B, D, E,
F) have significant influences on the bending strengths of the sam-
ples. The order of influence for the factors is D > B > F > E, which
have P-values of 0.0073, 0.0106, 0.0109 and 0.0172, respectively.
The other factors do not have significant effects on the bending
strengths of the samples.
The results of the steepest ascent experiment are presented in
Table 6. The bending strengths first increased and then decreased
as the selected four factors gradually increased. The bending
strength was at a maximum when the parameters of the factors
were as follows: Na2SiO3 content of 20%, curing time at 120 °C of
2.5 h, curing time at 250 °C of 2.5 h, and a fly ash-to-slag ratio of
9.0. Such levels of the four significant factors formed the maximum
response region, which could be the centre of the CCD-RSM
experiment.
3.2. Results and predication of the CCD-RSM experiment
The ranges of parameters in the CCD-RSM experiment are
shown in Table 7. The results and the variance are presented in
Tables 8 and 9, respectively. Table 9 shows that factor D had a sig-
nificant influence on the bending strength, whereas the influences
of factors B, E and F were not significant in this level region which
possibly had reached the optimal values. The interactions between
DE and EF and the square of B, D, E and F were significant. The
other interactions did not have significant effects on the bending
strength at this level. This finding indicates that the effects of the
factors on the bending strengths do not exhibit linear relationships.
The P-value of the model is 0.0134, which is slightly greater than
0.01 and less than 0.05; these results indicate that the regression
model is very significant. The p-value of the change in the quasi
item is 0.1559 greater than 0.05 suggesting that the changes in
the fitting parameters are not significant. Thus, the model predic-
tions are relatively stable and are statistically significant.
The regression equation of the significant factors for the bend-
ing strength obtained from the CCD-RSM experiment is given in
Eq. (1). Nonsignificant factors were removed, and modified quadra-
tic models were selected by the software.
Bending strength ðMPaÞ ¼ 33:33  0:67  B þ 2:38  D  E
þ 2:50  E  F  2:25  B2  1:88
 D2  2:62  E2  2:37  F2 ð1Þ
SiO2 P2O5 K2O CaO TiO2 Fe2O3
58.71 0.18 1.24 3.16 1.07 5.56
58.24 0.22 0.97 2.36 1.16 3.84
 E. Ding et al. / Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960 3

Table 3
Header design of the PB experiment.

A B C D E F G
Levels NaOH Na2SiO3 Time 1 Time 2 Time 3 Fly ash/slag Sieve mesh size
1 2% 16% 80 °C 1 h 120 °C 0.5 h 250 °C 1 h 50:50 60–80
+1 4% 21% 80 °C 3 h 120 °C 1.5 h 250 °C 3 h 10:90 80–100

Table 4
Results of Plackett-Burman experiment.

Run no. A B C D E F G Bending strength (MPa)

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23.21
2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 22.07
3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 28.06
4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 25.07
5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 21.28
6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 24.36
7 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 20.11
8 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 20.18
9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 19.45
10 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 27.41
11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 21.34
12 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 20.44

Table 5
Analysis of variance results of the Plackett-Burman experiment.

Source Sum of squares df Mean square F value P-value Prob > F Significant
Model 91.39 7 13.06 12.22 0.0146 *
A 3.06 1 3.03 2.86 0.1659
B 21.49 1 21.49 20.11 0.0106 2
C 1.37 1 1.37 1.29 0.3202
D 27.18 1 27.18 25.43 0.0073 1
E 16.47 1 16.47 15.42 0.0172 4
F 21.49 1 21.49 20.11 0.0109 3
G 0.31 1 0.31 0.29 0.6168

Table 6
Results of the steepest ascent experiment.

Run no. B D E F Bending strength (MPa)

1 16% 120 °C 0.5 h 250 °C 1h 50:50 10.97
2 17% 120 °C 1.0 h 250 °C 1.2 h 40:60 14.52
3 18% 120 °C 1.5 h 250 °C 1.5 h 33:67 18.47
4 19% 120 °C 2.0 h 250 °C 2.0 h 20:80 22.26
5 20% 120 °C 2.5 h 250 °C 2.5 h 10:90 28.79
6 21% 120 °C 3.0 h 250 °C 3.0 h 0:100 24.18

Table 7
Header design of the CCD-RSM experiment.

Factors a 1 0 1 +a
B 16.5 18 20 21 22.5
D 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
E 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
F 4.5 6 9 12 15

The observed and model-predicted values of the bending
strengths are presented in Fig. 1. The R2 value was calculated to
be 0.846, which was greater than 0.80 [22] for the bending
strength. The higher the R2 value is, the more significant the model.
Thus, there is a relatively good correlation between the actual and
predicted values. The residual polt of the model is presented in
Fig. 2. The absolute values of the residuals were relatively small
and the absolute value of the normalized residual was less than
2.0, which indicated that the fitted model was good for the
observations.
4 E. Ding et al. / Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960

Table 8
Results of the CCD-RSM Experiments.

Run no. B/(%) D/(h) E/(h) F Bending strength (MPa)

1 19 2.75 2.25 10.50 17
2 20 2.00 2.50 9.00 33
3 21 2.75 2.25 7.50 20
4 19 2.25 2.25 7.5 37
5 21 2.25 2.75 10.50 20
6 20 2.50 2.50 9.00 37
7 19 2.75 2.75 7.50 16
8 20 2.50 2.50 9.00 32
9 21 2.25 2.25 7.50 30
10 21 2.75 2.75 10.50 24
11 20 3.00 2.50 9.00 26
12 20 2.50 2.50 12.00 29
13 19 2.25 2.75 10.50 24
14 21 2.75 2.25 10.50 17
15 20 2.50 2.5 9.00 36
16 20 2.50 2.50 9.00 32
17 19 2.75 2.25 7.50 21
18 21 2.25 2.75 7.50 22
19 20 2.50 2.50 6.00 26
20 19 2.25 2.75 7.50 19
21 22 2.50 2.50 9.00 26
22 19 2.25 2.25 10.50 26
23 18 2.50 2.50 9.00 30
24 20 2.50 3.00 9.00 28
25 19 2.75 2.75 10.50 23
26 21 2.25 2.25 10.50 18
27 20 2.50 2.50 9.00 29
28 20 2.50 2.00 9.00 25
29 20 2.50 2.50 9.00 34
30 21 2.75 2.75 7.50 24

Table 9
Analysis of variance of the CCD-RSM experiment.

Source Sum of squares df Mean square F value P-value Prob > F Significant
Model 826.05 14 59.00 3.34 0.0134 *
B-B 10.67 1 10.67 0.60 0.4492
D-D 96.00 1 96.00 5.44 0.0341 *
E-E 2.67 1 2.67 0.15 0.7031
F-F 8.17 1 8.17 0.46 0.5069
BD 36.00 1 36.00 2.04 0.1739
BE 36.00 1 36.00 2.04 0.1739
BF 12.25 1 12.25 0.69 0.4180
DE 90.25 1 90.25 5.11 0.0391 *
DF 25.00 1 25.00 1.42 0.2526
EF 100.00 1 100.00 5.66 0.0310 *
B2 138.86 1 138.86 7.86 0.0134 *
D2 96.43 1 96.43 5.46 0.0337 *
E2 189.00 1 189.00 10.70 0.0052 *
F2 154.71 1 154.71 8.76 0.0097 *
lack of fit 221.58 10 22.16 2.56 0.1559

3.3. Influences of the interactions on the bending strengths of the
samples
To gain a better understanding of the interactions of each factor,
the results and effects of these interactions on the bending
strengths are presented in Fig. 3 as 3D surface plots, from which
we can draw the following conclusions:
1) Fig. 3a shows the influence of the interactions between the
sodium silicate content and curing time at 120 °C on the
bending strengths of the samples. When the curing time
was fixed at 120 °C, the bending strengths of the samples
first increased and then decreased as the sodium silicate
content increased. The bending strength reached the maxi-
mum value of 34 MPa when the curing time was 2.3 h at
120 °C, and the sodium silicate content was 19.5%. The
results can be explained by an increase in sodium silicate
content in activator, forming more oligomers in the activator
to improve the process of geopolymerisation [23]. However,
when the sodium silicate content exceeds a certain range,
OH and Na+ will be saturated in the geopolymer which
can cause efflorescence and decrease the bending strength
[24].
2) As the curing time at 250 °C and sodium silicate increased
(Fig. 3b), the bending strengths of the samples increased first
and then decreased, which was similar to the results of
Fig. 3c and f. The maximum bending strength fell within
the central level of the two factors and was greater than
32 MPa when the curing time at 250 °C was 2.5 h and the
sodium silicate content was 20%. According to the reaction
kinetic equation, increasing the curing temperature can
reduce the activated energy and promote the polymerization
with increased bending strength [25]. However, if an exces-
sive increase in curing time at 250 °C, cracks could appear
 E. Ding et al. / Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960
Fig. 1. Model predicted values vs. experimental results for bending strength.
Fig. 2. Residual plot of the model.
due to the different coefficients of expansion between the
formed geopolymer and phases in raw materials, causing
the bending strength to decrease [26].
3) When the fly ash-to-slag ratio and sodium silicate content
increased, the bending strengths of the samples increased
(Fig. 3c) but the growth rate was very low. The 3D response
surface was relatively flat, and the maximum bending
strength was 32 MPa with a fly ash-to-slag ratio of 9.0 and
a sodium silicate content of 20%. Because the fly ash is richer
in active aluminosilicate than the slag as shown in Fig. 7a
and b, which can improve the dissolution of the active ingre-
dients and form more hydrate products to increase the
bending strength [27].
4) Fig. 3d and e present the effects of the interactions between
the curing time at 120 °C and that at 250 °C and the effects of
the interactions between fly ash-to-slag ratio and curing
time at 120 °C on the bending strengths of the samples,
respectively. As shown in Fig. 3d, the difference value in
bending strengths of the samples between lower curing
times and the maximum bending strength were within
3.0 MPa. Thus, a relatively high bending strength could be
achieved with a shorter curing time and could avoid the
cracks, which can reduce energy consumption. The general
results of Fig. 3e are similar to Fig. 3d.
5
5) Fig. 3f shows the effects of the interactions between fly ash-
to-slag ratio and the curing time at 250 °C on the bending
strengths of the samples. There was a maximum bending
strength in the central area with a fly ash-to-slag ratio of
approximately 9.0 and curing time at 250 °C of approxi-
mately 2.5 h. Table 10 shows the selected two parameter
plans by the software of the predicted responses and results
of three parallel experiments. The measured errors were
both less than 5% for the bending strength of the samples.
According to the bending strength value, the result of plan
no.1 is regarded as the optimal plan.
3.4. Phase and microstructural analyses
The XRD patterns of the raw materials and the optimized sam-
ple are shown in Fig. 4. Some special peaks that were observed in
the optimized sample that were not found in the raw materials
corresponded to the presence of ferrierite-Na (PDF:43-0577,
Na2Si2.71Al2O9.424.39H2O) and trona-syn (PDF:76-0739), and their
characteristic peaks were at 9.333°, 20.914° and 33.982° crystal-
lization. Alkali could be a nucleating agent in geological polymers
and could also accelerate nucleation [28]. Therefore, alkali is extre-
mely advantageous in the phase region of a particular ferrierite and
increases the solubility of reactive ions, which can facilitate crystal
growth. While excessive alkali can absorb CO2 and generate trona-
syn after soaking in water, which is bad for the bending strengths
of the samples.
Fig. 5 reveals the FTIR spectra of fly ash, slag and the investi-
gated sample. The raw materials exhibited an FTIR pattern with
four broad features at approximately 3461 cm1, 1090 cm1,
559 cm1 and 464 cm1, which are associated with the appearance
of the stretching vibration of H-OH, stretching vibration Si-O-T
bonds (T: tetrahedral Si or Al) in the amorphous structure, stretch-
ing vibration Al-O bonds connected with mullite and bending
vibrations of Si-O [29], respectively. Similar structural characteris-
tics were observed in the optimized sample except for some special
peaks at 1699 cm1, 1456 cm1 and 848 cm1. The strong absorp-
tion peak at 1699 cm1 in the sample linked with the bending
vibrations of H-OH indicates that the sample contains a fraction
of free-state water that was adsorbed on the surface or in the cav-
ity of the samples [30]. The O-C-O stretching vibration in the sam-
ple detected at 1456 cm1 is attributed to carbonate [31], which is
mainly caused by excess free sodium ions in alkali activators; these
sodium ions can react with CO2 and H2O in the air and generate
carbonate. The wider, asymmetric, broad feature at 1066 cm1 in
the sample corresponds to two types of bridge bonds, Si-O-Si and
Si-O-Al, which are formed as a result of TO4 reorganization during
geopolymer formation. This location band moved to the lower
wavenumber compared with the raw materials, showing that the
geopolymerization reaction occurred and generated a type of pro-
duct with lower energy [32]. The presence of a small special band
at 848 cm1 should be linked with the presence of Si and Si-O rings
belonging to SiQn (n = 0) [33,34]. The peak indicates that some oli-
gomers still exist in the amorphous structure with which the
bridge oxygen is zero.
Fig. 6a–d presents the SEM micrographs of the raw materials
and the optimized sample. The composition and quantity of all ele-
ments at position 1 and position 2 were tested, and the changes in
Na, Si and Al were analysed by EDS in Fig. 7. An SEM micrograph of
the raw fly ash is shown in Fig. 6a and shows particles with spher-
ical morphology as the active ingredients, which are usually
observed in fly ashes, and some lumps [35]. Fig. 6b shows the
microstructure of slag with a continuous fragments clumped
together.
Fig. 6c and d present the investigated sample with special
needle-like crystals and short columnar crystals concentrated in
6 E. Ding et al. / Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960

Fig. 3. Effects of the interactions between (a) the curing time at 120 °C and the sodium silicate content, (b) the curing time at 250 °C and the sodium silicate content, (c) the fly
ash-to-slag ratio and the sodium silicate content, (d) the curing time at 120 °C and that at 250 °C, (e) the fly ash-to-slag ratio and the curing time at 120 °C, and (f) the fly ash-
to-slag ratio and the curing time at 250 °C on the bending strengths of the samples.

Table 10
Corroborative test results for the optimized values.

Conditions of predicted optimum points Bending strength (MPa)

No. B (%) D (h) E (h) F Predicted Observed Average Error
1 19.52 2.25 2.32 8.21 36.1216 37.24 36.88 37.72 37.28 3.2%
2 19.76 2.25 2.40 8.44 35.3027 36.74 34.25 36.65 35.88 1.6%

clusters around the spherical morphology particles, which leads
to a densification of the internal structure. The EDS in Fig. 7
and XRD results illustrate that the needle-like crystals could be
ferrierite-Na with 18.626 wt% Si, 10.056 wt% Al and 13.953 wt%
Na. The SiO2-to-Al2O3 mole ratio is approximately 3.56. These
crystals, as the second phase, can increase the bending strength
of the geopolymer [36]. The contents of Si, Al and Na in the short
columnar crystals are 3.38 wt%, 2.357 wt% and 31.834 wt%,
respectively. Combined with the XRD analysis in Fig. 4, the crys-
tals are trona-syn, which are produced by the excessive alkali
reacting with CO2 and H2O in the air. These crystals have an
adverse effect on the bending strength of the sample, especially
after soaking in water, which should be optimized and eliminated
in future experiments.
 E. Ding et al. / Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960 7

Fig. 4. XRD patterns of the raw materials and optimized sample.

Fig. 5. FTIR spectra of fly ash, slag and the investigated sample.

4. Conclusion ash-to-slag ratio of 8.21. The regression equation of the model

In the present work, fly ash and slag-based geopolymer materi-
als with high bending strengths (as high as 37.28 MPa) were pre-
pared by using CCD-RSM experiment. The content of sodium
silicate, curing time at 120 °C, curing time at 250 °C and ratio of
fly ash-to-slag were the major parameters influencing the bending
strength of the samples. The interactions between the curing time
at 120 °C and the curing time at 250 °C, and the interactions
between the curing time at 250 °C and the ratio of fly ash-to-slag
had significant effects on bending strengths of the samples. The
optimal technological parameters were as follows: NaOH content
of 3%, Na2SiO3 content of 19.52%, curing time at 80 °C of 3 h, curing
time at 120 °C of 2.25 h, curing time at 250 °C of 2.32 h and a fly
can be described by the following relationship:
Y ðMPaÞ ¼ 33:33  0:67  B þ 2:38  D  E þ 2:50  E  F  2:25  B2
 1:88  D2  2:62  E2  2:37  F 2
New phases of ferrierite-Na and trona-syn were found in the
sample, and the SiO2-to-Al2O3 mole ratio of needle-like ferrierite-
Na was approximately 3.55. This phase could densify the
microstructure and increase the bending strengths of the samples.
The stretching vibration Si-O-T bond moved to the lower
wavenumber with the geopolymerization reaction occurred and
generated a type of product with lower energy. The bending
8 E. Ding et al. / Construction and Building Materials 230 (2020) 116960

Fig. 6. SEM micrographs of raw materials and sample, (a) fly ash, (b) slag, (c) and (d) the optimized sample.

Na:13.953wt% Na:31.834wt%
+1 Si :18.626wt% +2 Si :3.38wt%
Al:10.056wt% Al:2.357wt%

Fig. 7. Fixed-point energy spectral analysis at position 1 and position 2.

strength value of the sample obtained in the present work shows Cultivating Leaders in the major Areas of Jiangxi Province
great potential in the application of wall and floor tiles which could [20182BCB22012].
partly replace the fired red bricks and floor tiles.
References
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