In order to mitigate problems associated with environmental pollution, alkali-activated nickel slags (AANSs) may be used as an alternative to cementitious material. However, the understanding of their mechanical properties and microstructure is currently very limited. This paper therefore explores the influence of different types and contents of three solid alkali activators, Na₂SiO₃, NaOH, and Na₂SiO₃/Na₂CO₃, on the compressive strength of one-part AANS. Their microstructure, hydration components, and pore structure are analyzed by means of a scanning electron microscope, an energy-dispersive spectrometer, an X-ray diffractometer, an infrared spectrometer, and a mercury analyzer. The results show that the AANS with an Na₂SiO₃/Na₂CO₃ activator has a denser microstructure, lower porosity, and a smaller pore size when compared with the AANS with the Na₂SiO₃ or NaOH activators. Consequently, the compressive strength of the Na₂SiO₃/Na₂CO₃ sample reached a higher compressive strength (96 MPa) than that activated by Na₂SiO₃ or NaOH. This strength is optimal as well as more economical as Na₂O, which increased from 0.107 mol to 0.123 mol, contributes little to compressive strength. The final part of the article discusses an optimal design for the engineering application of one-part AANS.

中文翻译：

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活化剂对碱活化镍渣力学性能和微观结构的影响

为了减轻与环境污染有关的问题，可以使用碱活化镍渣（AANSs）替代水泥质材料。但是，目前对它们的机械性能和微观结构的了解非常有限。因此，本文探讨了三种不同类型和含量的固体碱活化剂Na ₂ SiO ₃，NaOH和Na ₂ SiO ₃ / Na ₂ CO _{3的影响。}，关于AANS的抗压强度。通过扫描电子显微镜，能量分散光谱仪，X射线衍射仪，红外光谱仪和水银分析仪分析它们的微观结构，水合组分和孔结构。结果表明，与具有Na ₂ SiO ₃或NaOH活化剂的AANS相比，具有Na ₂ SiO ₃ / Na ₂ CO ₃活化剂的AANS具有致密的微观结构，较低的孔隙率和较小的孔径。因此，Na ₂ SiO ₃ / Na ₂ CO ₃的抗压强度样品的抗压强度（96 MPa）高于Na ₂ SiO ₃或NaOH所激活的抗压强度。该强度是最佳的，并且比从0.107 mol增加到0.123 mol的Na ₂ O更经济，对压缩强度的贡献很小。本文的最后一部分讨论了针对AANS的工程应用的最佳设计。