Determination of the bulk modulus of hydroxycancrinite, a possible zeolitic precursor in geopolymers, by high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction

Crystalline zeolitic materials, such as hydroxycancrinite, hydroxysodalite, herschelite and nepheline, are often synthesized from geopolymerization using fly-ash and solutions of NaOH at high temperatures. Comprised mainly of 6-membered aluminosilicate rings that act as basic building units, their crystal structures may provide insight into the reaction products formed in NaOH-activated fly ash-based geopolymers. Recent research indicates that the hydroxycancrinite and hydroxysodalite may play an important role as possible analogues of zeolitic precursor in geopolymers. Herein is reported a high pressure synchrotron study of the behavior of hydroxycancrinite exposed to pressures up to 6.1 GPa in order to obtain its bulk modulus. A refined equation of state for hydroxycancrinite yielded a bulk modulus of K_o = 46 ± 5 GPa (assuming Ko′ = 4.0) for a broad range of applied pressure. When low pressure values are excluded from the fit and only the range of 2.5 and 6.1 GPa is considered, the bulk modulus of hydroxycancrinite was found to be K_o = 46.9 ± 0.9 GPa (Ko′ = 4.0 ± 0.4, calculated). Comparison with the literature shows that all zeolitic materials possessing single 6-membered rings (i.e., hydroxycancrinite, sodalite and nepheline) have similar bulk moduli.