INFLUENCE OF CELLULOSE ON THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATIONS OF ALKALI-ACTIVATED GEOPOLYMERS

Cellulose is widely recognized as a plentiful, renewable and optically active source of carbohydrate polymers. This research contributes to our understanding of the effect of incorporating cellulose into a metakaolin-based geopolymer matrix on its morphological and optical behaviour with the aim of expanding the range of applications for this eco-friendly material. The cellulose was incorporated as an additive into geopolymers with different weight percentages: 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%. XRD diagrams of geopolymers display a broad amorphous hump, confirming the polymeric character of samples, with noticeable peaks correlated to illite, quartz, SiO2, and cellulose crystalline phases. The results obtained were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. The morphology of the samples was investigated by SEM, and the results indicate that the optimal concentrations of cellulose are 0.5 and 1 wt%. UV-VIS analysis revealed a significant increase in absorbance in the UV and visible regions of the G2 spectrum, corresponding to the highest amount of cellulose incorporated.