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Advanced Technologies in Durability Enhancement of Concrete: Coatings, Low-Carbon Cements,...
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Advanced Technologies in Durability Enhancement of Concrete: Coatings, Low-Carbon Cements, Additives and Admixtures

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2027 | Viewed by 3060

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yubin Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: solidwaste recycling & safety; low-C cement & concrete; durability
Prof. Dr. Yanru Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Vngineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: low-carbon cement & concrete; admixtures for cement & concrete; duarability
Prof. Dr. Ran Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: low-carbon cement & concrete; admixtures for cement & concrete; duarability
Prof. Dr. Chuansheng Xiong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: organic/inorganic coatings; conversion coating; corrosion resistance; durability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Concrete is a globally dominant human-made material, and its production significantly exploits natural resources and increases carbon dioxide emissions. The material is continuously subject to environmental compounds and processes, including chlorides, sulfates, freeze-thaw cycles, abrasion, and the corrosion of embedded steel. Enhancing its durability is paramount for longevity, safety, and reduced lifecycle costs, and prolonging the service life of reinforced concrete structures is one of several promising strategies to address the environmental challenges caused by cement production. Over recent decades, numerous advanced approaches designed to improve the durability of concrete have been proposed and developed, including tailoring external coatings (organic, inorganic, or organic–inorganic) and modifying internal concrete matrices via adjusting microstructure, permeability, additives, and admixtures.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present the latest investigations into advanced coatings and low-carbon cement with high durability. Beyond simple coatings, concrete coatings form highly engineered, multi-functional barriers, involving organic–inorganic synergy and self-cleaning or smart coatings, for example. This issue also will further focus on new findings regarding the enhancement of concrete’s durability via microstructure modification or the regulation of the corrosion resistance of hydration products.

Hence, this Special Issue will cover, but will not be limited to, the following topics:

  • Advanced technology regarding organic/inorganic concrete and steel bar coatings;
  • Interfacial transition zones between coatings and concrete;
  • The modification of cement-based products’ microstructure;
  • Ion transportation and the improvement of permeability for the enhancement of (reinforced) concrete’s durability;
  • The durability-related performance of low-carbon cementitious materials.

Prof. Dr. Yubin Cao
Prof. Dr. Yanru Wang
Prof. Dr. Ran Li
Prof. Dr. Chuansheng Xiong
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. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • coatings
  • microstructure
  • permeability
  • low-carbon cement

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 5355 KB  
Article
Preparation and Performance Study of Sand-Containing Hollow Concrete with Alkali-Activated Recycled Concrete Powder Based on Target Porosity
by Yuanxin Guo, Wenna Li, Zhizhu Zhang, Gongbing Yue, Xingang Xu, Qiuyi Li, Changhai Shao and Mingxu Chen
Coatings 2026, 16(3), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16030313 (registering DOI) - 4 Mar 2026
Viewed by 409 | Correction
Abstract
With the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption and advancing the green energy transition, this study employs sodium hydroxide and water glass as activators to facilitate the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, with physically activated recycled micro-powder [...] Read more.
With the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption and advancing the green energy transition, this study employs sodium hydroxide and water glass as activators to facilitate the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, with physically activated recycled micro-powder serving as an auxiliary cementitious material to prepare alkali-activated recycled hollow concrete. This study pioneers the application of the coarse aggregate tight-packing theory (bulk density method) to the preparation of alkali-activated recycled hollow concrete containing sand. By integrating Matlab image binarization techniques, we quantitatively analyzed the causes of porosity deviation, achieving precise alignment between target and actual porosity. This work fills a theoretical gap in the quantitative design of porosity for this concrete type. Additionally, the effects of different binder material dosages and pore volumes on the mechanical properties and permeability coefficients of sand-containing porous concrete were evaluated. Experimental results indicate that the calculated pore volume of sand-containing porous concrete prepared using the dense-packing theory (bulk density method) exhibits a smaller average error compared to the actual pore volume. As the amount of cementitious materials increases, the compression strength of permeable concrete gradually increases. When the cementitious material content is 450 kg/m3, and the target porosity is 15%, the concrete’s 28-day compressive strength reaches 21.4 MPa. At a porosity of 15%, the permeability coefficient ranges from 5.2 to 5.7 mm/s. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Durability Enhancement of Concrete: Coatings, Low-Carbon Cements, Additives and Admixtures)
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22 pages, 11942 KB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Study on the Flexural Performance of Reinforced Concrete Beams with 630 MPa High-Strength Rebars
by Xingxin Li, Ruifeng Cao and Ying Meng
Coatings 2026, 16(2), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16020250 - 16 Feb 2026
Viewed by 516
Abstract
The use of high-strength reinforcing steel is an effective way to improve the flexural efficiency of reinforced concrete beams. However, the flexural behaviour of beams reinforced with 630 MPa grade longitudinal rebars in combination with normal-strength concrete is still not fully understood, especially [...] Read more.
The use of high-strength reinforcing steel is an effective way to improve the flexural efficiency of reinforced concrete beams. However, the flexural behaviour of beams reinforced with 630 MPa grade longitudinal rebars in combination with normal-strength concrete is still not fully understood, especially with regard to serviceability performance. In this study, the flexural performance of simply supported RC beams reinforced with HRB500, HRB600 and HRB630 longitudinal rebars and cast with C60 steel-fibre-reinforced concrete was investigated through a combined experimental and numerical approach. Six beams were tested under four-point bending to examine cracking patterns, deflection development and ultimate flexural capacity. A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model based on the Concrete Damage Plasticity model in ABAQUS was then established and calibrated against the test data. Using the validated numerical model, a parametric study was carried out to investigate the influence of steel grade, tensile reinforcement ratio on flexural stiffness and ductility. Test results indicate that, for the same reinforcement ratio, the ultimate moment capacity of HRB630 beams is about 8% higher than that of HRB600 beams and about 25% higher than that of HRB500 beams, while a ductile flexural failure mode governed by yielding of tension reinforcement is still maintained. The study also shows that for HRB630 beams, deflection predictions need to account for the higher steel stress level and the deterioration of tension stiffening effects. In general, the results demonstrate that HRB630 high-strength rebars can be safely and efficiently used in flexural members when the tensile reinforcement ratio is kept within the under-reinforced range and steel-fibre-reinforced concrete is adopted to improve cracking and deflection performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Durability Enhancement of Concrete: Coatings, Low-Carbon Cements, Additives and Admixtures)
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16 pages, 7335 KB  
Article
Hysteretic Behavior and Ductility Analysis of Circular Recycled Concrete-Filled Steel Tube Columns Under Low-Cycle Loading
by Xingxin Li, Ruifeng Cao and Ying Meng
Coatings 2025, 15(12), 1456; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15121456 - 10 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 618
Abstract
Circular concrete-filled steel tube columns prepared with 100% recycled aggregate concrete (RACFST) are of interest for sustainable, carbon-neutral construction. However, recycled aggregates typically have higher water absorption and lower stiffness, raising concerns about seismic performance. This paper investigates the low-cycle cyclic behavior and [...] Read more.
Circular concrete-filled steel tube columns prepared with 100% recycled aggregate concrete (RACFST) are of interest for sustainable, carbon-neutral construction. However, recycled aggregates typically have higher water absorption and lower stiffness, raising concerns about seismic performance. This paper investigates the low-cycle cyclic behavior and displacement ductility of circular RACFST columns. Ten short columns were tested under an axial load ratio of ≈0.20, with varying diameters of 165 and 219 mm and concrete strengths of C30, C40, and C50, along with companion natural-aggregate CFST control specimens. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed and calibrated based on the test results, and parametric simulations were conducted to study the effects of geometry and material parameters. Two distinct flexural failure modes with outward bulging at the base were observed. These two distinct flexural failure modes refer to (1) local outward bulging of the steel tube accompanied by buckling near the base (e.g., specimens RACFSTC40-165-1 and RACFSTC30-219-1) and (2) flexural yielding with extensive concrete crushing around the base region (e.g., specimens RACFSTC50-219-2 and FSTC40-219-2). The first mode was characterized by early steel local deformation and shell instability, while the second showed more distributed plasticity with crushing of recycled aggregate concrete. These modes underline the influence of D/t and concrete strength on failure progression. The results indicate that RACFST columns attain a peak strength comparable to conventional CFST, while achieving significantly greater drift ductility and energy dissipation; the equivalent viscous damping ratio was found to increase with drift at ≈0.04–0.08 for low drifts and ≈0.10–0.18 for moderate drifts, suggesting that existing CFST design provisions are applicable, with only a minor ~3–5% reduction in core concrete strength recommended for stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Durability Enhancement of Concrete: Coatings, Low-Carbon Cements, Additives and Admixtures)
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19 pages, 5468 KB  
Article
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Surface Wettability of Tobermorite Modified by Functionalized Graphene Sheets
by Te Liang, Fenglei Han, Qi Luo, Dongshuai Hou, Xuefu Zhang, Wenbing Yu and Keping Zhang
Coatings 2025, 15(10), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15101166 - 5 Oct 2025
Viewed by 913
Abstract
The durability of cement-based materials can be reduced by the invasion of water and ions from external environments. This can be alleviated by reducing the surface wettability. To evaluate the anti-wetting performances of different graphene-based materials, a molecular dynamics simulation was performed to [...] Read more.
The durability of cement-based materials can be reduced by the invasion of water and ions from external environments. This can be alleviated by reducing the surface wettability. To evaluate the anti-wetting performances of different graphene-based materials, a molecular dynamics simulation was performed to investigate the wetting behaviors of water and NaCl droplets on a tobermorite surface coated with graphene and functionalized graphene (G-NH2 and G-CH3). The results demonstrate that functionalized graphene displays weak surface binding with water and ions, significantly weakening droplet wettability. Moreover, functionalized graphene surfaces exhibit reduced ion immobilization capacity compared with a pristine tobermorite surface. It obviously increases the number of free ionic hydration shells, thus amplifying the influence of ionic cage restriction. Specifically for the G-CH3 surface, the contact angle of the NaCl droplet reaches 94.8°, indicating significant hydrophobicity. Furthermore, the adhesion between functionalized graphene and tobermorite is attributed to the interlocking characteristics of these materials. Hopefully, this study can provide nanoscale insights for the design of functionalized graphene coatings to improve the durability of cement-based materials under harsh environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies in Durability Enhancement of Concrete: Coatings, Low-Carbon Cements, Additives and Admixtures)
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