A New High-Standard Journal Contributing to the Development of Sustainable Construction Materials

Materials for construction have evolved over the years, but they still need improvement in order to be environmentally and technically better.

On the one hand, decreasing the environmental impact of materials/structures is an objective put forward by almost all the actors involved in the domain of construction. Although most construction materials intrinsically have low embodied energy, their use in large volumes in worldwide construction leads to high overall CO₂ emissions. For instance, Portland cement is the main constituent responsible for the environmental impacts caused by the life cycle of concrete, as it generates on average more than 800 kg CO₂/t of clinker [1]. As business-as-usual practices will probably lead to a significant increase in CO₂ emissions, efforts need to be made to improve the environmental impact of construction materials.

On the other hand, the future development of construction materials cannot be made without considering their technical (and economical) properties. The understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the modification of materials leaves a huge field to be filled by the researchers.

Construction Materials (ISSN 2673-7108) is a new, international, open access, peer-reviewed journal that will publish research findings and developments in the field of construction materials. The journal will focus on the preparation and characterization of all kinds of construction materials, the relationship between properties and applications, as well as environmental impacts of construction materials. It will publish reviews, regular research papers (articles), short communications, among others.

The topics will cover several types of materials: cements, concretes, mortars, geopolymer and alkali-activated materials, recycled materials, additives, bituminous materials, steels, etc. The studies could be related to characterization and structure, materials properties, modeling, applications, multi-functions, durability, test methods, life cycle assessment, environmental impacts, and eco-efficiency.

The Editorial Board and I, as Editor-in-Chief, welcome researchers worldwide to contribute to Construction Materials and make this journal a high-standard medium with important influence in this key and stimulating field.