Function-Oriented Modified Asphalt and Its Mixtures: Enhancing Pavement Performance and Sustainable Applications

A Special Issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412) belonging to the section "Environmental Aspects in Colloid and Interface Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2027 | Viewed by 1375

Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Automobile and Traffic Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China
Interests: functional pavement surface; intelligent design of asphalt and asphalt mixtures; health monitoring and management of asphalt pavements

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Guest Editor
Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), SE-58195 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: tire/road noise; friction; rolling resistance and emission of particulates; pavement surface texture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditional asphalt pavements face significant challenges in durability and performance under demanding conditions (heavy traffic, extreme climates, aging). The increasing demand for sustainable infrastructure necessitates innovative solutions. Function-oriented modification of asphalt binders and mixtures offers a promising pathway to enhance performance, extend service life, and reduce environmental impact. This Special Issue focuses on research advancing asphalt materials through targeted functional enhancements. Key areas include the following:

l Function-Oriented Materials: Novel modifiers (polymers, nanomaterials, bio-based, recycled) designed for specific performance improvements (e.g., high-temperature stability, low-temperature cracking resistance, fatigue endurance).

l Mixture Design and Meso-Structure: Optimized mixture design methodologies and characterization of meso-structural features (aggregate skeleton, air void distribution, binder film) influencing performance.

l Surface Functionality: Development and evaluation of surfaces with enhanced properties (e.g., skid resistance, noise reduction, permeability, self-healing potential, thermal properties).

l Performance and Sustainability: Comprehensive evaluation of mechanical properties, durability, long-term performance, and contributions to sustainability (resource efficiency, recyclability, reduced carbon footprint).

We welcome original research and reviews addressing the design, characterization, and application of function-oriented modified asphalt and mixtures for next-generation, high-performance, and sustainable pavements.

Dr. Di Yun
Dr. Ulf Sandberg
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • coatings
  • modified asphalt
  • pavement performance
  • functional asphalt mixtures
  • sustainable applications

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 22203 KB  
Article
Rheological Properties and Anti-Icing Performance of Asphalt Modified with Hydrophobic and Salt-Storage Components
by Yuchen Guo, Beisi Tian, Jie Li, Wei Zhang, Yuan Tian, Zirui Li and Xiaorui Li
Coatings 2026, 16(9), 1072; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16091072 - 9 Sep 2026
Abstract
Hydrophobic and salt-storage functionalization can impart anti-icing capability to asphalt, but the associated changes in rheological behavior should be evaluated concurrently. In this study, silica aerogel and potassium acetate-loaded diatomite were incorporated as hydrophobic and salt-storage components, respectively. Contact angle and leachate conductivity [...] Read more.
Hydrophobic and salt-storage functionalization can impart anti-icing capability to asphalt, but the associated changes in rheological behavior should be evaluated concurrently. In this study, silica aerogel and potassium acetate-loaded diatomite were incorporated as hydrophobic and salt-storage components, respectively. Contact angle and leachate conductivity were used to characterize surface wettability and ion-release response, while temperature sweep, frequency sweep, multiple-stress creep and recovery, bending-beam rheometer, and linear amplitude sweep tests were conducted to evaluate rheological performance. A compromise formulation was subsequently selected using multi-objective evaluation and the response surface methodology. The hydrophobic component increased the contact angle of asphalt, whereas the salt-storage component generated a time-dependent aqueous ion-release response. Composite modification improved high-temperature deformation resistance but increased low-temperature creep stiffness and reduced stress-relaxation capacity and fatigue life, indicating a clear rheological trade-off associated with functionalization. The selected formulation contained an 8% hydrophobic component and a 14.6% salt-storage component. At the mixture scale, this formulation reduced ice accumulation by 48.3%, lowered the freezing temperature of a 1 mm water film by approximately 2.8 °C, and decreased the apparent ice–pavement shear strength at −10 °C from 0.71 to 0.45 MPa relative to the control. These results indicate that hydrophobic and salt-storage components contribute differently to anti-icing behavior while jointly altering the rheological response of asphalt. Full article
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14 pages, 1099 KB  
Article
Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment of Asphalt Pavements Incorporating Recycled Tire Rubber and Warm Mix Additives
by Ana María Rodríguez-Alloza and Daniel Garraín
Coatings 2026, 16(2), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16020229 - 11 Feb 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 993
Abstract
Reducing the environmental impacts associated with road infrastructure is a key challenge in the transition toward more sustainable construction practices. Asphalt pavements, due to their extensive material use and energy demand over long service periods, offer significant opportunities for improvement through innovative materials [...] Read more.
Reducing the environmental impacts associated with road infrastructure is a key challenge in the transition toward more sustainable construction practices. Asphalt pavements, due to their extensive material use and energy demand over long service periods, offer significant opportunities for improvement through innovative materials and production technologies. This study evaluates the environmental performance of an asphalt pavement incorporating recycled tire crumb rubber and a warm mix asphalt additive (CR + WMA) in comparison with a conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement. A comprehensive cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted in accordance with ISO 14040/44 standards, encompassing material production, construction, maintenance, and end-of-life stages. Different pavement service life scenarios were considered, and environmental impacts were quantified using sixteen midpoint categories of the environmental footprint (EF) 2.0 method. To enable a consistent comparison between pavement alternatives with different durability, results were normalized using a functional unit of 1 m2·year. The results show that the CR + WMA pavement consistently exhibits lower environmental impacts than the conventional HMA pavement across all impact categories. When identical service lives are assumed, impact reductions are primarily associated with lower production temperatures, partial substitution of virgin bitumen with recycled crumb rubber, reduced maintenance needs, and the normalization of life cycle impacts when results are expressed per m2·year. Overall, the CR + WMA pavement reduces life cycle environmental impacts by approximately 45%–60% across all EF midpoint categories compared to the conventional HMA pavement, depending on the impact category and service life scenario considered. These findings demonstrate the importance of explicitly accounting for service life and maintenance in pavement LCAs and highlight the potential of CR + WMA technology to reduce the life cycle environmental footprint of asphalt pavements, supporting more informed infrastructure design decisions and the development of more sustainable road pavement solutions. Full article
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