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Buildings
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Advances in Composite Structures for Sustainable Building Solutions
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Advances in Composite Structures for Sustainable Building Solutions

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1260

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shiwen Han

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: reinforced concrete structures; FRP; seawater sea-sand concrete; ECC; UHPC; smart materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ke-Fan Weng

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: ECC/SHCC; UHPC; FRP; composite structures & MIC
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Weijian Ding

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Guest Editor
School of Construction Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: smart materials and structure; structural health monitoring; seawater sea-sand concrete; bio-inspired cement-based metamaterials; 3D printed concrete; ECC
Dr. Jingyang Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
Interests: FRP; composite structures; fiber concrete
Dr. Haoqi Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Advanced Manufacturing, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: CFRP composites; additive manufacturing; lightweight design
Dr. Zhihao Hao

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: FRP; concrete structure; durability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As global construction turns to low-carbon and high-performance strategies, composite structures have advanced rapidly, offering sustainable solutions. These advanced composite structures reduce material consumption, improve mechanical performance, and enhance durability. Yet, challenges remain, such as developing new composites, innovating structures, optimizing designs, and assessing long-term performance.

This Special Issue, “Advances in Composite Structures for Sustainable Building Solutions,” aims to collect leading research across the full life cycle of composite structures. We welcome original articles and reviews that encompass a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to the following:

  • Development and application of novel composite materials;
  • Innovation and performance of advanced composite structures;
  • Analytical methods and design theories tailored to composite structures;
  • Structural health monitoring of composite structures;
  • Innovative applications of artificial intelligence (AI) for composite structures.

Dr. Shiwen Han
Dr. Ke-Fan Weng
Dr. Weijian Ding
Dr. Jingyang Zhou
Dr. Haoqi Zhang
Dr. Zhihao Hao
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

  • composites
  • fiber
  • concrete
  • structural design
  • structural health monitoring
  • sustainability
  • low carbon

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 11601 KB  
Article
Novel Embedded Integrated Smart Elements and Coda Wave Analysis for Investigating GGBS Effects on Cement Hydration
by Yuqing Liu, Bokai Huang, Weijian Ding, Shanshan Qin, Yuanxing Wang, Wenjie Zhang, Yu Liang and Yu Wang
Buildings 2025, 15(23), 4307; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15234307 - 27 Nov 2025
Viewed by 85
Abstract
Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) is a typical supplementary cementitious material that can delay the early hydration of cement. In this study, a novel integrated sensor was employed to continuously monitor the hydration process of cementitious materials and to characterize the influence of [...] Read more.
Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) is a typical supplementary cementitious material that can delay the early hydration of cement. In this study, a novel integrated sensor was employed to continuously monitor the hydration process of cementitious materials and to characterize the influence of GGBS addition on hydration behavior. The monitoring results show that the signal parameters, including amplitude, energy, and frequency domain, varied significantly during hydration. For plain cement paste (0% GGBS), the maximum signal amplitude after 24 h decreased by 28.2% compared with that at 0 h. As the GGBS content increased to 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%, the amplitude reduction ratios increased to 34.1%, 38.1%, 36.8%, 53.1%, 47.4%, and 59.0%, respectively. A similar trend was observed for the signal energy, with corresponding decreases of 34.3%, 41.5%, 39.3%, 44.5%, 53.1%, 47.0%, and 59.5%. These results clearly indicate that the incorporation of GGBS delays the early hydration of cement and suppresses the evolution of ultrasonic response. Short-time Fourier transform analysis further confirmed that the main frequency peak shifted toward a later time with increasing GGBS content, demonstrating the retarding effect of slag on hydration kinetics. This study verifies the feasibility of using integrated sensors for in situ monitoring of the hydration delay process in GGBS-blended cementitious materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Composite Structures for Sustainable Building Solutions)
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15 pages, 2861 KB  
Article
A Study of a Noncontact Identification Method of Debonding Damage in External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems Based on Nonlinear Vibration
by Xuejun Hou, Bin Yao, Chao Gao, Hui Zhou and Yanwen Shi
Buildings 2025, 15(20), 3728; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15203728 - 16 Oct 2025
Viewed by 343
Abstract
Due to the influence of materials, construction quality, environmental conditions, and artificial factors, debonding damage in external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) has become a common issue in the construction field. A reliable and efficient method for identifying the debonding is still lacking. [...] Read more.
Due to the influence of materials, construction quality, environmental conditions, and artificial factors, debonding damage in external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) has become a common issue in the construction field. A reliable and efficient method for identifying the debonding is still lacking. In this study, four groups of external insulation specimens with different degrees of debonding were fabricated. A non-contact detection method based on nonlinear vibration characteristics was employed, using a laser Doppler vibrometer to acquire the vibration response signals of the specimens. The results demonstrate that this technique can effectively distinguish specimens with different levels of debonding and accurately identify and locate the damage. Moreover, the relative position of the signal acquisition point with respect to the debonding area has no significant impact on the detection results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Composite Structures for Sustainable Building Solutions)
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Review

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28 pages, 10634 KB  
Review
Status and Perspectives for Mechanical Performance of Cement/Concrete Hybrids with Inorganic Carbon Materials
by Lina Huang, Hua Chen and Jianzeng Shen
Buildings 2025, 15(19), 3525; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15193525 - 1 Oct 2025
Viewed by 590
Abstract
The rapid advancement of modern infrastructure and construction industries demands cementitious materials with superior mechanical performance, durability, and sustainability, surpassing the limitations of conventional concrete. To address these challenges, carbon-based nanomaterials—including carbon nanofibers (CNFs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphene—have gained significant attention as [...] Read more.
The rapid advancement of modern infrastructure and construction industries demands cementitious materials with superior mechanical performance, durability, and sustainability, surpassing the limitations of conventional concrete. To address these challenges, carbon-based nanomaterials—including carbon nanofibers (CNFs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphene—have gained significant attention as next-generation reinforcement agents due to their exceptional strength, high aspect ratio, and unique interfacial properties. This review presents a critical analysis of the latest technological developments in carbon-enhanced cement and concrete composites, focusing on their role in achieving high-performance construction materials, as there is a shortage of reviews of cement concretes based on carbon nanoadditives. We systematically explore the underlying mechanisms, processing techniques, and structure–property relationships governing carbon-modified cementitious systems. First, we discuss advanced synthesis methods and dispersion strategies for carbon nanomaterials to ensure uniform reinforcement within the cement matrix. Subsequently, we analyze the mechanical enhancement mechanisms, including crack bridging, nucleation seeding, and interfacial bonding, supported by experimental and computational studies. Despite notable progress, challenges such as long-term durability, cost-effectiveness, and large-scale processing remain key barriers to practical implementation. Finally, we outline emerging trends, including multifunctional smart composites and sustainable hybrid systems, to guide future research toward scalable and eco-friendly solutions. By integrating fundamental insights with technological advancements, this review not only advances the understanding of carbon-reinforced cement composites but also provides strategic recommendations for their optimization and industrial adoption in next-generation construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Composite Structures for Sustainable Building Solutions)
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