Geopolymers and Concrete

Concrete is the most used construction material in the world  by mass. A calcination process is used, which heats limestone  on rotating kilns at 1400–2000°C. Production of one tonne of cement emits one tonne of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  CFM focuses on the development of green cement and concrete,  including geopolymer concrete and permeable concrete.

Core Projects

  1. ARC DECRA17 – Enhancement of durability of geopolymers through phase engineering  2017-2019
  2. DSITI – Geopolymer Concrete Test Dev 2019

Core Research Areas

Green Concrete

This project aims to develop  a well-formulated geopolymer, utilising high volume coal waste streams  fly ash, as sustainable replacement of Portland cement.

Geopolymer Concrete

The focus is the effects of glassy phase and particle geometry of feedstock  materials (fly ash and slag) on their reactivity, geopolymerisation  mechanisms and the durability of derived geopolymers.

Phase Engineering

The nature of different geopolymer phases, their formation thermodynamics,  kinetics and stability are studied. Innovative phase engineering approaches  ensures highly durable products, which are urgently needed but not  available in the current industry.

Shrinkage Control

The problems of shrinkage and phase control in scaling-up of GFC in  industry are being addressed. An extensive experimental study identifies  the key parameters to reduce the rate of drying shrinkage, including the  variation of sand content, foam content, and using different fibre types  and contents.