A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Progress and Trends on Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer

The objective of this work is to present the research progress and applications of fly ash-based geopolymer, and summarize the future research hotpots. Since 1998, scholars have made important contributions to the study of fly ash-based geopolymer, and a large number of research studies have been published. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis for the determination of the research status, trend, and history of fly ash-based geopolymer was conducted in the present study. A total of 4352 publications on fly ash-based geopolymer were collected between 1998 and 2022, with an increasing trend year by year. China and Australia are the largest contributors to the field, and the research institutions in each country cooperate closely. In addition, the most contributing research areas are MATERIALS SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, and CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY. The keywords including fly ash, compressive strength, and mechanical property are the most frequently appearing words. On the whole, the development of fly ash-based geopolymer could be divided into three stages including the replacement of ordinary Portland cement, the development of multifunctional materials, and the reduction of environmental impact by the conversion of solid waste. This overview could provide an important guidance for the development of fly ash-based geopolymer.