Durability of alkali activated cement produced from kaolinitic clay

•Activation of kaolinitic clay with sodium hydroxide solution•Alkali activated geopolymers were synthesized.•The inorganic polymers' performance was satisfactory under ambient conditions.•The inorganic polymers have excellent resistance to saline water and sulfate attack.

Alkali activated products were synthesized by activation of kaolinitic clay from Hiswa area, Jordan with a sodium hydroxide solution. These specimens were subjected to long-term durability tests under different environmental and chemical conditions. The geopolymer specimens undergo very low drying shrinkage. The specimens perform well under ambient, de-ionized water, wet–dry cycles, sea water, and sodium sulfate conditions. The newly developed material from Hiswa clay shows a stable strength under all these conditions. The specimens are however attacked by acid solutions and lose about 9.7% of their mass after 90 days of exposure. The alkali–silica reaction has highly affected the geopolymer specimens as indicated by cracking, expansion and loss of mechanical strength.

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