Sustainable Geopolymer Cementitious Composites for Pavement Moisture Control: Materials, Durability, Geosynthetic Interfaces, and Infrastructure Applications

Geopolymer and alkali-activated cementitious composites have been investigated for sustainable infrastructure applications, including pavement layers exposed to moisture-related distress from water infiltration, capillary rise, suction change, fines pumping, subgrade softening, drainage loss, and traffic-induced pore pressure. This critical review evaluates these sustainable cementitious systems as potential moisture-control treatments by connecting binder-scale transport behavior to pavement-layer performance and geosynthetic interface functions. A process-structure-interface-service framework is used to organize the evidence: precursor chemistry, activator dosage, curing, and additives control pore connectivity and shrinkage cracking; these features govern absorption, sorptivity, pressure penetration, hydraulic conductivity, capillary uptake, and chemical durability; geotextiles, geogrids, geocomposites, geomembranes, and geosynthetic clay liners then determine separation, filtration, drainage, reinforcement, protection, or barrier performance; and the pavement system is ultimately judged by retained soaked stiffness, controlled flow paths, fines retention, and service-life validation. The review distinguishes direct evidence from transfer-supported hypotheses. Existing studies provide strong independent evidence for geopolymer concrete transport resistance and for geosynthetic pavement functions, and moderate evidence for alkali-activated/geopolymer soil stabilization. However, direct field evidence for coupled geopolymer-treated layers with geosynthetic interfaces under traffic, water input, and drainage boundaries remains limited. The key contribution is a testable framework that links hydraulic conductivity, capillary rise, shrinkage/crack control, soaked CBR/UCS/resilient modulus, geotextile permittivity and apparent opening size, filtration/clogging, interface shear, leaching, and instrumented pavement monitoring. The review concludes that geopolymer treatment should be considered a complementary stabilization and water-path-control strategy, not a substitute for geosynthetic design. Implementation requires coupled laboratory boxes or field sections that verify whether the combined system reduces moisture damage without trapping water or creating brittle, alkaline, or clogged interfaces.