Development of epoxy-geopolymer hybrid composites as synthetic ceramic

Novel cross-linked geopolymer-epoxy hybrid composites as synthetic ceramics is developed in this project. Geopolymer fly-ash is used as basis to be mixed with epoxy, an inorganic polymer at different ratios to produce an enhanced sample with lighter, strong resistance against temperature, acidity, low water absorption as well as high flexural strength. The project is carried out in order to suggest a solution of the expensive ceramics, as well as the high cost of manufacturing. Fly ash geopolymer is very cheap as they are the by-products of combustion which is not of any valuable use currently. Besides that the starting material of the sample is also very environmental friendly as it is biodegradable as well as inexpensive. Before starting on the preparation, multiple ratios of the geopolymer and epoxy will be studied to identify the best ratio. After the analysis, it is shown that 10% epoxy is the best formulation due to its least amount of water absorption, good surface as well as high density of material. The addition of epoxy has improved the properties of geopolymer.