Geopolymers are a unique class of materials that may offer a solution to environmental issues in the industrial sector including cement substitutes that produce only one-ninth of the CO2 as Portland cement. In this episode we talk about how they work and what, if anything, they have to do with the ancient pyramids.

Articles Discussed:

• 2007 Khale and Chaudhary, Mechanism of geopolymerization and factors influencing its development: a review [LINK]

• 2013 Olawale, Syntheses, Characterization and Binding Strength of Geopolymers: A Review [LINK]

• 2010 Petermann and Saeed, Alkali-activated geopolymers: a literature review [LINK]

• 2017 Davidovits, Geopolymers based on natural and synthetic metakaolin a critical review [LINK]

This episode is sponsored by Matmatch. Check out how they can help you find the perfect material for your next engineering project! This episode is also sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.

Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!

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Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-host, co-creator), Andrew Falkowski (co-host, co-creator), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa (editing assistance).

Keywords: geopolymer rocks pyramids ceramics materials science

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