A study on flowability, strength and drying shrinkage properties of one-part AAM cured at ambient temperature

Alkali-activated materials are conventionally produced by a two-part mixing in which alkalis are used as aqueous solutions that create applicability problems. To overcome the problem, one-part alkali-activated materials (AAM) are being studied. In this study, the influence of aluminosilicate precursors, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), alkaline activators (AA) ratio (Na₂SiO₃: NaOH), and production method on flowability, compressive and flexural strength, and drying shrinkage properties of one-part AAM was studied. Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) increased the strength but negatively influenced the flowability and drying shrinkage of the AAM. Fly ash improved the flowability and decreased the drying shrinkage but the material had much lower reactivity at ambient temperature to improve the strength. AA ratio improved the flowability but reduced the strength. High-concentrated NaOH decreased the flowability and strength of the material. One-part AAM had much lower strength compared to conventional and two-part AAM. This is attributed to a lack of better reaction between aluminosilicate precursors and AA in the one-part mixture.