Geopolimeri: ceramiche per uno sviluppo sostenibile

Geopolymers are inorganic polymeric materials developed in 70's by Joseph Davidovits. Geopolymers mimic natural minerals and they are the products of a geo-synthesis, i.e. a reaction that chemically integrates minerals. Geopolymers belong to the class of the chemically bonded ceramics (CBCs): they are synthesised at low temperature from a variety of materials including recycled resources and mineral wastes, reducing the energy demands and environmental impact during their production. For this reason geopolymers could be considered environmentally friendly. Geopolymers enable product designers to envisage the use of ceramic type materials with the same facility as some plastics and organic removing heavy equipment and high temperatures from the ceramic industrial plants. Geopolymer technology allows the production of a wide range of versatile materials already finding applications in many fields of industry. These applications are to be found in the automotive and aerospace industries, non-ferrous foundries and metallurgy, civil engineering, plastics industries, waste management, restoring, art and decoration, biomaterials, etc.. Geopolymers are the natural product of green chemistry, that works for a sustainable development.