Effects of Blast Furnace Slag Addition and Activator Modulus on DryingShrinkage and Cracking of Nickel Slag-based Geopolymer
SUN Chao1, ZHAO Jun1, WANG Yichen2, GAO Xuan2, WANG Dongyu3, ZHANG Zuhua3,*
1 COSL Oilfield Chemicals R & D Institute, Sanhe 065201, Hebei, China 2 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, Jiangsu, China 3 Key Laboratory of Advanced Civil Engineering Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China
Abstract: Drying shrinkage of geopolymer and the resulted cracking issue not only compromise structural integrity but also deteriorate critical mechanical properties and durability. This study employed air-cooled nickel slag as the main precursor and sodium silicate as an activator, incorporating ground granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) to prepare geopolymer. An examination was conducted to evaluate the effects of GBFS content and alkali activator modulus on both drying shrinkage and cracking development. Quantitative analysis of shrinkage-induced microcracks was performed in the binder through scanning electron microscopy coupled with image analysis, aiming to provide a theoretical reference for improving the volumetric stability and suppressing cracking of such materials. Key findings revealed that the higher reactivity of GBFS compared to NS enhanced the degree of geopolymerization. Increasing GBFS content reduced drying shrinkage and mitigated compressive strength loss resulted from the cracking development. While a higher activator modulus increased drying shrinkage, it paradoxically suppressed cracking development. This should be attributed to the elevated content of reactive silica species originated from the activator, which facilitated the formation of densely crosslinked C-A-S-H gels with lower Ca/Si and Al/Si ratios, thereby improving cracking resistance through optimized gel phase chemistry and microstructure.
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2026, Vol. 40 
