Durability of slag-based alkali-activated materials: A critical review

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the devastating effects of climate change, the need for sustainable building materials that are both durable and environmentally friendly increases. Geopolymer and alkali-activated materials formed by a chemical reaction between an alkaline activator solution and an aluminosilicate source have gained popularity in recent years. The alkaline activator solution dissolves the aluminosilicate source, which then undergoes a polycondensation reaction to form a three-dimensional geopolymeric gel network. The development of this network ensures the strength and durability of the material. Today, this phenomenon of durability has been studied in detail to enable the development of superior construction materials, taking into account degradation mechanisms such as carbonation, leaching, shrinkage, fire, freezing and thawing, and exposure to aggressive environments (chlorides, acids, and sulphates). Although there are many unsolved problems in their engineering applications, slag-based alkali-activated materials appear to be more advantageous and are promising as alternative materials to ordinary Portland cement. First of all, it should not be ignored that the cure sensitivity is high in these systems due to compressive strength losses of up to 69%. Loss of strength of alkali-activated materials is considered an important indicator of degradation. In binary precursors, the presence of fly ash in slag can result in an improvement of over 10% in compressive strength of the binary-based alkali-activated materials after undergoing carbonation. The binary systems can provide superior resistance to many degradation mechanisms, especially exposure to high-temperature. The partial presence of class F fly ash in the slag-based precursor can overcome the poor ability of alkali-activated materials to withstand high temperatures. Due to the desired pore structure, alkali-activated materials may not be damaged even after 300 freeze–thaw cycles. Their superior permeability compared to cementitious counterparts can extend service life against chloride corrosion by more than 20 times. While traditional (ordinary Portland cement-based) concrete remains the most widely used material in construction, geopolymer concrete’s superior performance makes it an increasingly emerging option for sustainable and long-lasting infrastructure.