	US 12,473,232 B2
	Carbon fiber-reinforced metakaolin-based geopolymer composites
Ange-Therese Akono, Evanston, IL (US); and Jiaxin Chen, Evanston, IL (US)
Assigned to Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (US)
Appl. No. 17/792,502
Filed by Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 29, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/015651 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 13, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2021/155108, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 5, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/967,142, filed on Jan. 29, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0072824 A1, Mar. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. C04B 28/00 (2006.01); C04B 14/02 (2006.01); C04B 111/00 (2006.01)

CPC C04B 28/006 (2013.01) [C04B 14/026 (2013.01); C04B 2111/00181 (2013.01); C04B 2201/50 (2013.01)]

4 Claims

1. A carbon nanotube-reinforced geopolymer composite comprising:

a potassium metakaolin-based geopolymer matrix; and

multiwalled carbon nanotubes dispersed in the potassium metakaolin-based geopolymer matrix, wherein the concentration of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes is in the range from 0.55 to 1.5 weight percent, per weight of potassium metakaolin in the potassium metakaolin-based geopolymer matrix;

the carbon nanotube-reinforced geopolymer composite having a porosity in the range from 5.5% to 7.5%, an indentation modulus in the range from 7.5 to 8.5 GPa, and a fracture toughness in the range from 0.58 Mpa·sqrt(m) to 0.65 MPa·sqrt(m),

wherein the carbon nanotube-reinforced geopolymer composite is free of organic surfactants and organic dispersing agents and the multiwalled carbon nanotubes are not functionalized with surface carboxy groups.