Impact of metakaolin on hydration properties of magnesium phosphate cement

The degradation of mechanical properties in magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) is commonly observed under conditions of rapid heat release and high ambient temperature. To mitigate this phenomenon, the incorporation of metakaolin has been investigated as a means to reduce the hydration heat of MPC and enhance its mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. Experimental findings reveal a pronounced influence of metakaolin on the heat flow behavior of MPC. Specifically, the addition of a small fraction of metakaolin (not exceeding 20 wt%) leads to an accelerated heat release rate during the initial 0.13 hours, followed by a substantial reduction in the heat release rate with further increments of metakaolin. Furthermore, the inclusion of metakaolin significantly improves the mechanical properties of MPC. For instance, a composition comprising 30% metakaolin yields a notable 79.2% increase in strength after 7 days. It is worth noting that temperatures below 400℃ are found to have an adverse impact on the mechanical properties of MPC, whereas a temperature range encompassing 600℃>T>400℃ enhances these properties due to vitrification at high temperatures. Importantly, MPC incorporating metakaolin exhibits superior mechanical performance compared to its metakaolin-free counterpart across all tested temperatures, which can be attributed to the attainment of a denser microstructure facilitated by metakaolin incorporation.