Cement and Concrete Composites in Construction: Applications and Potential
A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 May 2026 | Viewed by 16
Special Issue Editors
2. Research Centre for Resources Engineering Toward Carbon Neutrality, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: cement hydration; concrete; power ultrasound; carbonation
2. Research Centre for Resources Engineering Toward Carbon Neutrality, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: cement; low-carbon cementitious materials; concrete
Interests: low-carbon cementitious materials; concrete durability
Interests: calcium silicate hydrate; alkali-activated materials; utilization of industrial wastes; carbonation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the Special Issue titled “Cement and Concrete Composites in Construction: Applications and Potential”, which aims to showcase cutting-edge research and practical advancements in the design, performance and deployment of cement- and concrete-based composite materials across diverse construction applications.
Cement and concrete composites continue to evolve with innovations in materials design, reinforcement strategies, durability enhancement, sustainability and digital integration. This Special Issue will provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to share insights that advance structural performance, service life, resilience and environmental responsibility in modern construction.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Design, formulation and characterization of cement and concrete composites
- Fiber-reinforced and particle-reinforced composites (steel, polymer, basalt, glass, natural fibers)
- Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), lightweight composites and 3D printable mixes
- Durability, long-term performance and degradation mechanisms (corrosion, freeze–thaw, sulfate/ASR, carbonation)
- Functional and smart composites (self-sensing, self-healing and multifunctional materials)
- Sustainable and low-carbon solutions (supplementary cementitious materials, alternative binders, recycled aggregates, LCA/LCCA)
- Rheology, workability and processing for casting, pumping and additive manufacturing
- Microstructure–property relationships and multiscale modeling
- Structural applications: beams, slabs, shells, bridges, pavements and prefabricated systems
- Repair, strengthening and retrofitting using composite materials
- Performance under mechanical, thermal and environmental loading
- Testing methodologies, standards and validation (experimental, numerical, hybrid)
- Digital and data-driven approaches: AI/ML in mix design, performance prediction and optimization
- Case studies and field implementations demonstrating real-world performance
We also welcome original research that explores novel or interdisciplinary directions beyond the topics listed above.
Submission deadline: 10 May 2026
We encourage participation from a broad community of materials scientists, structural engineers, practitioners and industry partners to foster productive exchange and accelerate innovation in composite-enabled construction.
Thank you for your interest and contributions.
Dr. Guangqi Xiong
Dr. Yong Zheng
Dr. Zheng Fang
Dr. Shuping Wang
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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 and concrete composites
- CO2 mineralization
- waste valorization
- recycled aggregates and fines
- alternative low-clinker binders
- durability and long-term performance
- microstructure–property relationships
- life-cycle assessment (LCA)
- additive manufacturing (3D printing)
- machine learning for mix design and optimization
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