A mini review on properties of portland cement concrete with geopolymer materials as partial or entire replacement

The main aim of this paper is to review recent studies over the past 10 years investigating the influencing factors for improving the mechanical properties of concrete. This focuses on concrete comprising of pozzolanic materials, partially or entirely replacing ordinary Portland cement, in the concrete mixture. Firstly, the effectiveness of main factors such as temperature, water to solid (W/S) ratio, and alkaline solution ratio was briefly discussed. Next, the effects of significant factors such as different superplasticizer and alkaline solutions and combinative materials on the improvement of concrete workability were reviewed and compared. Eventually, other concrete properties such as water absorption and durability were discussed in the last section. After reviewing all types of concrete additives, including mineral or chemical materials, the influence of these admixtures under different laboratory conditions were highlighted to objectively evaluate the benefits of each factor. As a whole, the significant reasons of such experimental tests arising from the usage of these materials, in accordance with the laboratory results obtained from these investigations, are discussed.