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Advancements in Cementitious Materials: Exploring the Latest Trends and Future...
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Advancements in Cementitious Materials: Exploring the Latest Trends and Future Outlook—2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 1903

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Heeyoung Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Advanced Concrete Structure Laboratory, Chosun University, Gwangju 61453, Republic of Korea
Interests: cementitious composite; carbon nanomaterials; carbon dioxide capture utilization and storage (CCUS); construction materials; concrete strengthening; rehabilitation of concrete structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, "Advancements in Cementitious Materials: Exploring the Latest Trends and Future Outlook", aims to comprehensively address the latest research developments and future perspectives in cementitious materials. Cement, being one of the most widely used construction materials globally, is the focus of innovative research aimed at improving sustainability and performance. This Special Issue will explore the various approaches to overcoming the limitations of traditional cementitious materials, minimizing environmental impact, and enhancing long-term durability and efficiency. Key topics include high-performance concrete, eco-friendly cement alternatives, the application of nanotechnology, techniques for extending the lifespan of cement, and smart cement-based structural monitoring technologies. The Issue seeks to foster a collaboration between academic and industry researchers to design the future of cementitious materials, offering more sustainable and cost-effective construction solutions.

Best regards,

Dr. Heeyoung Lee
Guest Editor

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

  • cementitious composite
  • carbon nanomaterials
  • carbon dioxide capture utilization and storage (CCUS)
  • construction materials
  • concrete strengthening
  • rehabilitation of concrete structures

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4510 KiB  
Article
Flexible Behavior of Transverse Joints in Full-Scale Precast Concrete Slabs with Open-Type Joint Method
by Jinuk Jang, Dain Mun, Byungkyu Jo and Heeyoung Lee
Buildings 2025, 15(13), 2337; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15132337 - 3 Jul 2025
Viewed by 303
Abstract
Cracks and concentrated stresses can develop in precast concrete slabs, depending on the quality of the joints. The open-type joint method was adopted herein to fabricate a full-scale precast concrete slab joint. The open-type joint method features an exposed joint configuration that allows [...] Read more.
Cracks and concentrated stresses can develop in precast concrete slabs, depending on the quality of the joints. The open-type joint method was adopted herein to fabricate a full-scale precast concrete slab joint. The open-type joint method features an exposed joint configuration that allows for direct installation of shear connectors without temporary formwork, improving constructability and load transfer efficiency. Full-scale load testing was carried out using a four-point loading experiment, revealing that the precast concrete slab had a yield load of 550 kN and maximum load of 733 kN. A slab using the cast-in-place method was measured to have a yield load of 500 kN and maximum load of 710 kN. A finite element analysis (FEA) model modeled the precast concrete slab, and the displacement and maximum load were analyzed. The FEA showed a maximum error within 7%. Therefore, the FEA results can predict the structural performance of the load–displacement of the precast concrete slab. The support vector regression model predicted key structural performance indicators such as concrete compressive strength, maximum load, displacement, and principal stress. The prediction results indicated that the average error converged within 3%. The prediction results of the SVR model can complement FEA by estimating outcomes without the need for complex modeling. Thus, the precast concrete slab using the open-type joint method was able to achieve structural performance equivalent to that of the slab using the cast-in-place technique. Furthermore, FEA and machine learning will be able to predict the structural performance of precast concrete slabs using the open-type joint method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Cementitious Materials: Exploring the Latest Trends and Future Outlook—2nd Edition)
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24 pages, 1909 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation into Waterproofing Performance of Cement Mortar Incorporating Nano Silicon
by Nasiru Zakari Muhammad, Muhd Zaimi Abd Majid, Ali Keyvanfar, Arezou Shafaghat, Ronald MCcaffer, Jahangir Mirza, Muhammad Magana Aliyu and Mujittafa Sariyyu
Buildings 2025, 15(13), 2227; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15132227 - 25 Jun 2025
Viewed by 400
Abstract
Water ingress and penetration of aggressive fluids undermines the integrity of many concrete structures. For this reason, optimal performance of such structures up to their designed life cannot be guaranteed. This study introduces nano silicon as an alternative waterproofing admixture for increasing life [...] Read more.
Water ingress and penetration of aggressive fluids undermines the integrity of many concrete structures. For this reason, optimal performance of such structures up to their designed life cannot be guaranteed. This study introduces nano silicon as an alternative waterproofing admixture for increasing life span of cementitious materials, due to its non-vulnerability to deterioration, which is common to traditional surface coating solutions. Therefore, nano silicon was characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Energy Dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and surface Zeta potential. The Central Composite Design (CCD) tool was adopted to plan the experiment and further used to model the relationship between experimental variables and experimental response. The model was found to be nonlinear quadratic based on Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Also, the validity of the model was evaluated and found to have accurate prediction with mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 1.62%. The optimum mix ratio necessary to increase resistance to capillary water absorption was established at a nano silicon dosage of 6.6% by weight of cement and w/c of 0.42. In conclusion, the overall results indicate that resistance to capillary water absorption was increased by 62%. Furthermore, while gas permeability was reduced by 31%, on the other hand, volume of water permeable voids decreased by 10%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Cementitious Materials: Exploring the Latest Trends and Future Outlook—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 3741 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Properties of Large-Volume Waste Concrete Lumps Cemented by Desert Mortar: Laboratory Tests
by Hui Chen, Zhiyuan Qi, Baiyun Yu and Xinyu Li
Buildings 2025, 15(12), 2060; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15122060 - 15 Jun 2025
Viewed by 406
Abstract
In response to the high cost and environmental impact of backfill materials in Xinjiang mines, an eco-friendly, large-volume composite was developed by bonding desert-sand mortar to waste concrete. A rock-filled concrete process produced a highly flowable mortar from desert sand, cement, and fly [...] Read more.
In response to the high cost and environmental impact of backfill materials in Xinjiang mines, an eco-friendly, large-volume composite was developed by bonding desert-sand mortar to waste concrete. A rock-filled concrete process produced a highly flowable mortar from desert sand, cement, and fly ash. Waste concrete blocks served as coarse aggregate. Specimens were cured for 28 days, then subjected to uniaxial compression tests on a mining rock-mechanics system using water-to-binder ratios of 0.30, 0.35, and 0.40 and aggregate sizes of 30–40 mm, 40–50 mm, and 50–60 mm. Mechanical performance—failure modes, stress–strain response, and related properties—was systematically evaluated. Crack propagation was tracked via digital image correlation (DIC) and acoustic emission (AE) techniques. Failure patterns indicated that the pure-mortar specimens exhibited classic brittle fractures with through-going cracks. Aggregate-containing specimens showed mixed-mode failure, with cracks flowing around aggregates and secondary branches forming non-through-going damage networks. Optimization identified a 0.30 water-to-binder ratio (Groups 3 and 6) as optimal, yielding an average strength of 25 MPa. Among the aggregate sizes, 40–50 mm (Group 7) performed best, with 22.58 MPa. The AE data revealed a three-stage evolution—linear-elastic, nonlinear crack growth, and critical failure—with signal density positively correlating to fracture energy. DIC maps showed unidirectional energy release in pure-mortar specimens, whereas aggregate-containing specimens displayed chaotic energy patterns. This confirms that aggregates alter stress fields at crack tips and redirect energy-dissipation paths, shifting failure from single-crack propagation to a multi-scale damage network. These results provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the resource-efficient use of mining waste and advance green backfill technology, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of mining operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Cementitious Materials: Exploring the Latest Trends and Future Outlook—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 1663 KiB  
Article
Absorbed Energy and Fracture Characteristics of Cement Paste Modified with SBR Latex Through Charpy and Three-Point Bending Tests
by Jung J. Kim
Buildings 2025, 15(12), 1976; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15121976 - 7 Jun 2025
Viewed by 385
Abstract
This study evaluates the energy absorption, fracture energy, tensile strength, and compressive strength of cement paste modified with SBR latex. A control mixture with a water-to-cement (W/C) ratio of 0.4 was used as the reference. Based on this, modified mixtures were prepared by [...] Read more.
This study evaluates the energy absorption, fracture energy, tensile strength, and compressive strength of cement paste modified with SBR latex. A control mixture with a water-to-cement (W/C) ratio of 0.4 was used as the reference. Based on this, modified mixtures were prepared by partially replacing water with SBR latex at P/W ratios of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt% relative to the original water content. The samples were cured for 7, 14, and 28 days. To assess the mechanical properties and energy absorption capacity, a series of tests were conducted, including compressive strength, tensile strength, Charpy impact testing, and three-point bending tests to measure fracture energy. The results show that the optimal P/W ratio is 10%, at which tensile strength increased by 42.1%, energy absorption increased by 36.3%, and fracture energy increased by 29.6%, while compressive strength decreased by a maximum of 11.6%. A linear relationship between fracture energy and energy absorption after 28 days was proposed, allowing for the estimation of fracture energy from energy absorption data. This research not only identifies the optimal latex dosage for the design of SBR-modified cement paste but also provides foundational data for applying Charpy impact testing and three-point bending testing to cement-based materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Cementitious Materials: Exploring the Latest Trends and Future Outlook—2nd Edition)
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