Kan et al. (2025c) — Low-Cost Engineered Geopolymer Composites Hybridized with High and Low Modulus Polyethylene (PE) Fibers

Citation

Kan, L., Zhang, L., Dai, L., Gan, Y., Wang, Z., & Wu, C. (2025). Low-cost engineered geopolymer composites hybridized with high and low modulus polyethylene (PE) fibers. Composites Communications, 57, 102439.

• DOI: 10.1016/j.coco.2025.102439
• Atlas layer: core
• Related Victor Li book chapter: Chapter 7: Alternative Reinforcing Fibers & Chapter 9: Green ECC (Cost-Effective Composite Formulations)
• Source PDF: kan-2025-low-cost-engineered-geopolymer-composites-hybridized.pdf
• Extracted text: full_text/kan-2025-low-cost-engineered-geopolymer-composites-hybridized_full_text.md
• Source note: source_notes/kan-2025-low-cost-engineered-geopolymer-composites-hybridized_source_note.md

Why this paper matters

Solves the primary commercial bottleneck of high-ductility composites (expensive synthetic fibers) by replacing premium UHMWPE fibers (PE110, $E_f = 110\text{ GPa}$, $25/kg) with low-cost domestic PE fibers (PE40, $E_f = 40\text{ GPa}$, $7/kg) at $V_f = 1.5\text{ vol. \%}$, achieving 5.81 % tensile strain capacity and cutting fiber material cost by 68 %.

Main contribution

• Develops low-cost slag-based Engineered Geopolymer Composites (EGC) by substituting conventional high-modulus PE fibers (PE110) with economical low-modulus PE fibers (PE40) at 0 %, 30 %, 50 %, 70 %, and 100 % replacement levels.
• Employs a reduced total fiber volume fraction ($V_f = 1.50\text{ vol. \%}$) in an alkali-activated slag matrix ($f_c = 46.5\text{--}58.2\text{ MPa}$).
• Demonstrates that even 100 % low-cost PE40 fiber EGC retains robust pseudo strain-hardening with an ultimate tensile strain capacity of 5.81 %, 43 saturated multiple cracks, and crack widths tightly controlled at ~108 $\mu\text{m}$.
• Performs single-fiber pullout testing and SEM analysis, verifying favorable slip-hardening pullout behavior without premature fiber rupture.
• Conducts economic and embodied carbon life-cycle analysis, showing that 100 % PE40 substitution reduces total composite fiber cost by 68 % while maintaining superior tensile ductility.

Evidence summary

• Matrix Composition: 90 wt% GGBFS + 10 wt% Silica Fume activated with liquid sodium silicate ($M_s = 1.10$), quartz sand ($S/B = 0.36$), $w/b = 0.32$.
• Fiber Specifications ($V_f = 1.50\text{ vol. \%}$):
• PE110 (Premium): $d_f = 24\ \mu\text{m}, l_f = 12\text{ mm}, \sigma_f = 3000\text{ MPa}, E_f = 110\text{ GPa}$, Cost: ~$25/kg.
• PE40 (Economical): $d_f = 25\ \mu\text{m}, l_f = 12\text{ mm}, \sigma_f = 1400\text{ MPa}, E_f = 40\text{ GPa}$, Cost: ~$7/kg.
• Mechanical Properties (28 days):
• Compressive strength: 46.5 MPa (0 % PE40) $\rightarrow$ 58.2 MPa (100 % PE40).
• Tensile ductility ($\epsilon_u$): 8.12 % (0 % PE40); 6.95 % (50 % PE40); 5.81 % (100 % PE40).
• Ultimate tensile strength ($\sigma_u$): 5.25 MPa (0 % PE40) $\rightarrow$ 3.82 MPa (100 % PE40).
• Crack pattern: 43 saturated micro-cracks with average width $w_m \approx 108\ \mu\text{m}$ in 100 % PE40 mix.
• Economic & Environmental Impact:
• Fiber material cost reduced by 68 % for 100 % PE40 replacement.
• Embodied carbon of slag geopolymer matrix is 75 % lower than Portland cement ECC.

Linked Atlas nodes

• 02_concepts/strain_hardening_criteria.md
• 05_experiments/single_fiber_pullout.md
• 04_material_systems/geopolymer_ecc.md
• 04_material_systems/green_ecc.md
• 04_material_systems/pe_ecc.md
• 05_experiments/direct_tensile_test.md
• 02_concepts/circular_economy_materials.md

Relationship to Victor Li book

• Extends Victor Li (2019) Chapter 7: Alternative Reinforcing Fibers (pp. 175–204) and Chapter 9: Green ECC (pp. 235–265).
• Resolves the economic barrier emphasized by Victor Li: by matching fiber modulus and interface bond so that lower-cost ($7/kg) polymer filaments slip rather than snap, the composite achieves $> 5.8\%$ tensile ductility at one-third the fiber cost of traditional ultra-high-modulus systems.

Claim-evidence rows to add

Verification status

• PDF preserved: yes (kan-2025-low-cost-engineered-geopolymer-composites-hybridized.pdf)
• Text extracted: yes (full_text/kan-2025-low-cost-engineered-geopolymer-composites-hybridized_full_text.md)
• DOI verified: yes (10.1016/j.coco.2025.102439)
• Metadata verified: yes (Compos. Commun., Vol. 57, 102439, 2025)
• Claim-evidence matrix ready: yes

Cautions

• Ultimate tensile strength decreases from 5.25 MPa to 3.82 MPa when transitioning from PE110 to PE40 due to the lower tensile strength of PE40 fibers (1400 MPa vs. 3000 MPa).
• Average crack width expands slightly from 82 $\mu\text{m}$ to 108 $\mu\text{m}$ due to lower fiber elastic modulus.