Microstructure and properties of metakaolin-based inorganic polymer foams

A mixture of 70 % metakaolin and 30 % blast furnace slag powders, employed as the raw material, is mixed with different alkaline activating solutions in the production of metakaolin-based inorganic polymer foams (MIPF) with various densities ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 g/cm³ using a mechanical foaming process. The microstructures of metakaolin and slag powders, inorganic binder, and MIPF specimens are characterized by using XRD, FTIR, and image analyses. The effects of stirring time, water/binder ratio, and foaming agent on the properties of inorganic binders are also evaluated. Moreover, the pore size distributions, thermal and mechanical properties of the MIPF specimens are obtained by conducting a series of measurements and then compared with each other. Based on the experimental results, it is found that the measured cell length, cell wall thickness, compressive strength, flexural strength, and coefficient of thermal conductivity of the MIPF specimens are significantly affected by their densities.