Oven-cured alkali-activated concrete

The production of cement, as a core binder material in conventional concrete, is responsible for the release of a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In recent years, alkali-activated concrete (AAC), which uses aluminosilicate materials as an alternative to cement, has attracted significant attention to improve the environmental impact of the conventional concrete. However, most of the aluminosilicate materials have slow reaction rate, resulting in the development of low early strength in AACs at ambient curing condition, which is not favorable for the construction field. Oven curing can improve the early strength development of AACs by accelerating the geopolymerization process. Different parameters of oven curing, such as curing temperature, duration, and humidity affect the performance of the AACs. This chapter presents the current state of research on the effect of these parameters on mechanical (under compression, flexure, and tension load), durability (water absorption and sorptivity, sulfate resistance, carbonation, and freeze-thaw resistance), time-dependent (creep and shrinkage), and ultrasonic pulse velocity properties of oven-cured AACs.