The composition and activation procedure of AAM (Advanced Alkali-Activated Materials) cement place it under the geopolymer cement category. Aluminosilicate minerals and alkalis, usually sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate, react to form a chemical bond that replaces the conventional Portland cement hydration process. This reaction is the basis for the development of geopolymer cements, including AAM. Compared to traditional Portland cement, AAM cement has a number of benefits, including reduced carbon emissions, increased durability, and superior resistance to hostile environments. One typical issue with geopolymer cements is efflorescence, which is the production of white, powdery deposits on the surface of cementitious materials. But, by carefully choosing raw materials with a low soluble salt concentration and using the right curing methods, it can be lessened. AAM cement can preserve its geopolymer properties without encountering serious efflorescence problems by reducing the amount of soluble salts and making sure that the curing process is completed. As a result, AAM cement can be used in a variety of building applications where the desired geopolymer characteristics can be achieved, providing long-lasting and sustainable substitutes for conventional cementitious materials.

Dear Fardeen Ali your background have a lack…Geopolymers aren’t a sub family of AAMs at all. Because fundamentally aren’t hydraulic systems while AAMs are almost completely hydraulic and they use user hostile pH (corrosive). I suggest to verify my words putting your AAM in prolonged (28days ) immersion in water then ,if still usable, try to break the sample and compare with a sample cured by air (room temperature). You will be surprised by the leaching that will reduce the performance randomly but very severely. Geopolymer means geological source polymerization material. The reaction is something of the most different from alkali activation. The raw materials involved as precursor are more selected because their mineralogy and reactivity not by their chemistry only and the pH of reaction, depending on the field of application (forget for a moment the OPC substitution and concrete, that is just the most cheap application not the only and not the most diffuse, actually) can be acidic of alkaline.

This means that after the reaction the alkaline ions or the acidic ones become part of newborn minerals not only trapped. There isn’t any trapping but chemical reaction between mineral sources at room temperature. So even putting in water for 1 month or even more there won’t be any leachates and the range of performance will be similar to the sample cured by air. Making experience it’s possible to design precursors that are also more hydrophilic to increase strongly the mechanical strength development even if under water or seawater.

If you need more clarifying let me know and I‘ll try to show you more examples. I could send you videos and pictures to explain better but before have a look on www.geopolymer.org there are lots of scientific papers and videos that you may use to understand better my words too.

Best

Dr. Alex Reggiani

CTO GeoMITS

Idham Kholid Rahmatullah to answer quickly at your question…NO!

Professor Davidovits has explained the reasons of that reaction. Geopolymerization doesn’t happen casually or because has been found a trick to block the efflorescence, but following precise mix design, that is practically the same using all different types of precursors and reagents. Reagent isn’t an activator because what is already well reactive is the powder part, so the pH is user friendly (I can send you videos where I put my fingers inside without gloves with no issues or burning). Don’t try to put your finger inside an activator for AAM, take care.

It isn’t a question of description but GP and Alkali Activation follow different ways. The leaching happens because for AAM the real ”glue” that keeps all together is the strong pH obtained by corrosive liquids or by metasilicate plus water (the result is still a corrosive pH of 14 or even 14+ if activators are used in higher quantity). The alkaline ions are over saturated and don’t react with nothing a part the CO2 in the air so migration and carbonation are normal consequences. The issue in this case is that sodium or potassium carbonates are salts not minerals like the Calcium carbonate that grows on the surface of Portland based recipes…so their solubility in water is total while for calcium carbonate is still very low.

Geopolymers has very thin carbonation because the reaction, between precursor and reagent to create the final GP binder, is well balanced so there aren’t free alkali that can move to the surface to become carbonates.

Check on YouTube there are already the videos where Prof Davidovits explains these and much other aspects.

Best

Alex