Relationship between the microstructure and reaction performance of aluminosilicate

A systematic study was conducted to comprehend the mechanism of thermal activation of silica-alumina materials by using ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al magnetic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy. The reaction performance of silica-alumina-based materials with different molar ratios of Si/Al, which were thermally activated, was also investigated. With the increase in calcining temperature, the coordination of Al in metakaolin becomes four, five, and six firstly, and then transforms completely to four and six. It is indicated by identical coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP) and NMR that, the reaction performance of monomeric silicate anions is better than that of polymeric silicate anions which are primarily cross-linked in the alkali solution. Moreover, it also shows that the thermal activation temperature, cooling method, and the molar ratio of Na/Ca have remarkable effects on the reaction performance.