The suitability of thermally activated illite/smectite clay as raw material for geopolymer binders

Abstract So called geopolymers or geopolymeric binders and cements are made by means of an alkaline activation of materials reactive in this respect. Such material has to consist of a certain amount of silicate and aluminate phases which can be dissolved by the alkaline medium. In the consequence stable polymeric networks of alumosilicates will be formed. Metakaolins and alumosiliceous fly ashes, in particular, have by now achieved noteworthy significance. The search for alternative low cost or high available materials may lead among other things to “normal clays”. This material is widely available all over the world and may show certain reactivity after a thermal activation process. This investigation focuses on the suitability of illite/smectite clay to form a geopolymer after thermal and alkaline activation. Therefore clay containing mainly illite was thermally activated between 550 and 950 °C. The degree of dehydroxylation and the reached reactivity were followed by X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy and dissolution techniques. The performance of the geopolymer binder in terms of strength as well as the phase composition was studied.