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Research on Sustainable Materials in Building and Construction
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Research on Sustainable Materials in Building and Construction

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 2025 | Viewed by 3209

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yijiang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: sustainable construction materials; phase change building materials; renewable energy; thermal comfort; built environment
Dr. Yukun Ji

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Healthy Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: green sustainable materials; clean energy and water-rock interaction; underground energy storage; carbon capture and storage; carbon mineralization
Dr. Chengyang Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: building integrated photovoltaics; distributed renewable energy; digital twin and digitalisation; smart energy management system; sustainable built environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the impact of climate change is causing great concern globally, there has been increasing pressure on cutting carbon emissions across all sections. The global annual consumption of cement reached 53 billion tonnes in 2023. Cement manufacturing accounts for about 5–8% of global CO2 emissions. With the increasingly prominent global energy problem and the high carbon emissions related to the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), acceptable alternatives to OPC are required. The usage of energy-saving and efficient materials has attracted increasing attention in the construction industry.

The main topics of this Special Issue include—but are not limited to—sustainable construction materials, low-carbon materials, composite geomaterials, geopolymer, phase-change building materials, grouting materials, thermal insulation materials, and building integrated photovoltaics.

Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcomed.

Dr. Yijiang Wang
Dr. Yukun Ji
Dr. Chengyang Liu
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

  • sustainable construction materials
  • low-carbon materials
  • composite geomaterials
  • geopolymer
  • phase-change building materials
  • grouting materials
  • thermal insulaiton materials
  • building integrated photovoltaic

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • 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.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 8270 KiB  
Article
Development of Half-Sandwich Panels with Alkali-Activated Ceramic and Slag Wastes: Mechanical and Thermal Characterization
by Norma Gaibor, Dinis Leitão, Ana Briga-Sá, Tiago Miranda, Nuno Cristelo, Eduardo N. B. Pereira and Vítor M. C. F. Cunha
Buildings 2025, 15(9), 1469; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15091469 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 96
Abstract
This paper presents the development of two solutions for sandwich panels composed of a thin-layer alkali-activated composite (AAc) layer and a thicker insulation layer, formed by extruded polystyrene foam or expanded cork agglomerate (panels named APXPS or APICB, respectively). The [...] Read more.
This paper presents the development of two solutions for sandwich panels composed of a thin-layer alkali-activated composite (AAc) layer and a thicker insulation layer, formed by extruded polystyrene foam or expanded cork agglomerate (panels named APXPS or APICB, respectively). The AAc combined ceramic waste from clay bricks and roof tiles (75%) with ladle furnace slag (25%), activated with sodium silicate. The AAc layer was further reinforced with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers (1% content). The mechanical behavior was assessed by measuring the uniaxial compressive strength of cubic AAc specimens, shear bond strength, pull-off strength between the AAc layer and the insulation material, and the flexural behavior of the sandwich panels. The thermal performance was characterized by heat flux, inner surface temperatures, the thermal transmission coefficient, thermal resistance, and thermal conductivity. Mechanical test results indicated clear differences between the two proposed solutions. Although APXPS panels exhibited higher tensile bond strength values, the APICB panels demonstrated superior interlayer bond performance. Similar findings were observed for the shear bond strength, where the irregular surface of the ICB positively influenced the adhesion to the AAc layer. In terms of flexural behavior, after the initial peak load, the APXPS exhibited a deflection-hardening response, achieving greater load-bearing capacity and energy absorption capacity compared to the APICB. Finally, thermal resistance values of 1.02 m2 °C/W and 1.14 m2 °C/W for APICB and APXPS were estimated, respectively, showing promising results in comparison to currently available building materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Sustainable Materials in Building and Construction)
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Review

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42 pages, 5495 KiB  
Review
Optimizing Thermal Efficiency of Building Envelopes with Sustainable Composite Materials
by Milind Deshmukh and Madhura Yadav
Buildings 2025, 15(2), 230; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15020230 - 15 Jan 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2354
Abstract
The growing global energy demand, particularly in India, calls for innovative strategies to improve building energy efficiency. With buildings contributing significantly to energy consumption, especially in cooling-dominated climates, sustainable insulation materials are essential in minimizing energy usage. This study explores the potential of [...] Read more.
The growing global energy demand, particularly in India, calls for innovative strategies to improve building energy efficiency. With buildings contributing significantly to energy consumption, especially in cooling-dominated climates, sustainable insulation materials are essential in minimizing energy usage. This study explores the potential of bamboo biochar, fly ash, and lime as sustainable insulation materials for building envelopes. This study also addresses the critical issue of energy efficiency in building construction, specifically focusing on the comparative analysis of three materials for their thermal performance, environmental impact, and economic viability. This research aims to identify the most sustainable material choice by assessing each material’s life cycle energy consumption, thermal resistance, and associated costs. The research methodology involves an extensive review of 125 relevant studies to assess the thermal performance of these materials. U-values were computed from the reported thermal conductivity data and systematically arranged in chronological order to evaluate and compare their insulation effectiveness over time. Additionally, these materials were analyzed under sustainability criteria, incorporating life cycle analysis and a carbon footprint assessment. This study identifies existing research gaps and offers recommendations for future research, creating structure for the development of sustainable insulation system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Sustainable Materials in Building and Construction)
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