Resistance to external sulfate attack - Comparison of two alkali-activated binders

Durability of binders, mortars and concretes in aggressive environments is of crucial importance for their commercial application. In this paper the resistance to external sulfate attack of two different alkali-activated binders (AABs), based either on blast furnace slag (BFS) or fly ash/blast furnace slag (FA/BFS) blend, was compared with two different commercially available Portland cement (CEM II) blended either with BFS or with FA and BFS. Comparison of sulfate resistance was based on compressive strength testing (the loss of strength) of mortar samples exposed to sodium sulfate attack up to 180 days and samples cured under controlled conditions for the same period of time. Furthermore, the evolution of microstructure of alkali-activated binders and pH of sodium silicate solution during testing were also analyzed. Despite different gel chemistry being involved, both alkali-activated binders based either on BFS or FA/BFS blend showed excellent resistance to external sulfate attack and even better than selected Portland cements tested under the same experimental conditions.