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Research on Sustainable and High-Performance Cement-Based Materials
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Research on Sustainable and High-Performance Cement-Based Materials

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 2150

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yanliang Ji

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, 13355 Berlin, Germany
Interests: cement-based materials; building materials; synergistic effect
Dr. Alexander Mezhov

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Guest Editor
1. National Building Research Institute—Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
2. Division of Technology of Construction Materials, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
Interests: building materials; construction materials; concrete technologies; civil engineering materials; sustainable construction; construction engineering; building; construction technology; civil engineering technology
Dr. Ting Zhang

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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang, China
Interests: high-performance concrete; sustainable construction materials; concrete admixtures

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As buildings age and urban infrastructure continues to expand, the importance of high-performance building materials and effective strategies for repair and renovation has never been greater. From extending the service life of buildings to improving their sustainability and energy efficiency, innovation in materials and construction techniques is at the heart of modern building science.

This Special Issue of Buildings aims to bring together cutting-edge research and practical insights into the design, application, and performance of both traditional and advanced materials in the context of structural rehabilitation and renewal. We invite original research articles, case studies, and review papers that explore material durability, repair technologies, renovation methods, sustainability considerations, and digital tools for assessment and maintenance.

Topics of interest include—but are not limited to—novel construction materials, eco-friendly and low-carbon repair techniques, structural health monitoring, and smart solutions for long-term performance.

We look forward to your contributions, which will help shape a more resilient, adaptive, and sustainable built environment.

Dr. Yanliang Ji
Dr. Alexander Mezhov
Dr. Ting Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cement hydration
  • sustainable construction materials
  • superplasticizer
  • UHPC
  • repairing materials
  • rheological properties
  • cracks in aged structures

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 10533 KB  
Article
Material-Constructive Features and Structural Behavior of Sicilian Thin Shell Vaults
by Angelo Savio Calabrese, Calogero Cucchiara, Francesco Vallone and Calogero Vinci
Buildings 2026, 16(4), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16040698 - 8 Feb 2026
Viewed by 404
Abstract
Thin-tile vaults, characterized by a wide variety of geometric configurations, represent an important part of the architectural heritage in Southern Italy. Many of these structures are still in serviceable condition. However, the absence of dedicated design guidelines and the need to comply with [...] Read more.
Thin-tile vaults, characterized by a wide variety of geometric configurations, represent an important part of the architectural heritage in Southern Italy. Many of these structures are still in serviceable condition. However, the absence of dedicated design guidelines and the need to comply with modern safety and serviceability requirements make their assessment and conservation a challenging task. The present study contributes to a more informed and responsible approach to these historic systems by addressing current normative limitations and by clarifying the structural role of construction elements such as counter-vaults and stiffening ribs. The research focuses on a representative case study located in Sicily, where this technique was extensively used from the late eighteenth century. The investigation combines direct on-site surveys, laboratory characterization of collected material samples, and numerical analysis based on finite-element elastic modeling. The results show that the traditional building knowledge, commonly described as the art of good manufacturing and transmitted through long-standing craftsmanship, produced a construction technique that still fulfills its structural function with remarkable effectiveness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Sustainable and High-Performance Cement-Based Materials)
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23 pages, 8318 KB  
Article
Impact of Elevated Curing Temperatures on the Expansion Mechanism and Microstructure of Fly-Ash-Blended Cementitious Materials Incorporating HCSA
by Kai Wang, Wenjing Zhao, Jiawen Qu, Linan Gu, Jinlong Wang, Xunmei Liang, Fangzhou Ren and Jingjing Feng
Buildings 2026, 16(3), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16030680 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 378
Abstract
Calcium sulfoaluminate–calcium oxide expansive agents (HCSA) are commonly used in mass concrete to compensate for thermal shrinkage. However, the ettringite (AFt) formed by HCSA hydration decomposes when temperatures exceed 70 °C. This study examines the synergistic effects of curing temperature (20 °C to [...] Read more.
Calcium sulfoaluminate–calcium oxide expansive agents (HCSA) are commonly used in mass concrete to compensate for thermal shrinkage. However, the ettringite (AFt) formed by HCSA hydration decomposes when temperatures exceed 70 °C. This study examines the synergistic effects of curing temperature (20 °C to 80 °C), fly ash (FA) content (0%, 40%), and water–binder ratio (w/b, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) on the expansion behaviour and microstructure of HCSA–cement systems. A critical temperature threshold was identified at 60 °C. Below this limit, elevated temperatures accelerate hydration and enhance expansion, with the restrained expansion ratio peaking at 9.2 × 10−4 mm/mm under 60 °C curing. Beyond 60 °C, expansion capacity significantly diminishes due to the thermal decomposition of AFt into monosulfoaluminate (AFm), as confirmed by XRD and SEM analysis. Calculations of expansive stress reveal a critical mismatch at temperatures ≥ 40 °C, where the expansive stress exceeds the early-age tensile strength, causing microstructural damage. Furthermore, subsequent cooling to standard curing conditions triggers the reformation of AFt from AFm, leading to Delayed Ettringite Formation (DEF), which poses potential risks for late-stage cracking. AFt morphology shifted from needle-like (2–5 μm) to prismatic (5–8 μm). The incorporation of FA suppressed early-stage expansion but improved expansion stability. above 40 °C, although excessive temperatures (>70 °C) led to pore coarsening and reduced mechanical strength. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the curing regimes of HCSA-admixed mass concrete to ensure structural integrity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Sustainable and High-Performance Cement-Based Materials)
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16 pages, 3346 KB  
Article
Analysis of Pore Structure and Its Relationship to Water Transport and Electrical Flux in Mortars Incorporated with Slag and Silica Fume
by Yanliang Ji, Xinyi Peng, Hongwei Tian and Xiangqun Ding
Buildings 2025, 15(19), 3450; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15193450 - 24 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 921
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of slag and silica fume on the mechanical properties, transport behavior, and pore structure of cement-based mortars. Mortars incorporating different proportions of supplementary materials were evaluated by compressive and flexural strength, saturated water absorption, chloride permeability, and mercury [...] Read more.
This study investigates the effects of slag and silica fume on the mechanical properties, transport behavior, and pore structure of cement-based mortars. Mortars incorporating different proportions of supplementary materials were evaluated by compressive and flexural strength, saturated water absorption, chloride permeability, and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Fractal analysis was further applied to assess pore structure complexity. At 28 days, the slag–silica fume blend SG20SF10 reached 46.5 MPa in compressive strength and 5.8 MPa in flexural strength, exceeding OPC. MIP showed a decrease in total porosity from ~14.5% to ~11.3% (about 22% lower) with a marked reduction in pores larger than 100 nm. Consistently, SG20SF10 exhibited the lowest water absorption and chloride permeability at both ages. These results indicate that the slag–silica fume synergy refines capillary porosity and increases pore-network complexity, thereby reducing directional connectivity and transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Sustainable and High-Performance Cement-Based Materials)
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