Microestrutura e propriedades mecânicas de geopolímeros com diferentes teores de cal dolomítica (Microstructure and mechanical properties of geopolymers with different dolomitic lime contents)

This study investigated the effect of dolomitic lime incorporation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of metakaolin-based geopolymers activated by alkaline solution. Five geopolymer mixtures were prepared with the addition of 0.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10.0% dolomitic lime. The microstructure of the geopolymers was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD). The compressive strength of the mixtures ranged between 53.2 and 63.0 Mpa after 28 days of ambient curing. SEM/EDS analyses showed that the main phases formed were the N-A-S-H gel together with the C-A-S-H and N-M-A-S-H gels in the mixtures with dolomitic lime. In summary, the results showed that the incorporation of dolomitic lime can significantly improve the microstructure and properties of geopolymers.