Strengthening and Repair of Concrete Structures: Surface Technologies and Applications
A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 27
Special Issue Editors
Interests: seismic resilience evaluation of nuclear power plant structures and systems; strengthening and repair of concrete structures; structural failure mechanisms under multi-hazard actions; structural optimization design; applications of artificial intelligence in both nuclear power plants and civil engineering
Interests: seismic resistance and structural strengthening; seismic resilience of FRP-strengthened structures; seismic response analysis and simplified calculation methods; seismic and pressure-bearing performance of FRC nuclear containment structures
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We would like to invite you to submit your works to a Special Issue on “Strengthening and Repair of Concrete Structures: Surface Technologies and Applications”. This Special Issue aims to highlight advances in surface-level treatment and coating technologies used for the repair, protection, and strengthening of concrete structures. It will gather contributions focused on the development, performance evaluation, and real-world application of innovative surface-treatment systems, particularly coatings and related interfacial technologies that enhance the durability and functionality of concrete.
The scope of this Special Issue encompasses a range of surface-applied solutions, including protective and functional coatings, such as anti-corrosion, waterproofing, self-cleaning, and photocatalytic layers, along with surface preparation and modification techniques like impregnation, etching, and texturing. It also covers advanced thin-layer applications, such as mortars and engineered cementitious composites (ECC) used as overlays, as well as surface-level reinforcement systems, such as textile-reinforced mortars (TRM) and fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP), with particular attention to coating-matrix compatibility and adhesion.
Performance evaluation will focus on properties and tests relevant to surface and coating technologies, including adhesion strength and interfacial behavior (e.g., pull-off and slant shear tests), durability under aggressive conditions such as UV exposure, freeze–thaw cycles, and chemical attacks, and microstructural analysis of coating-concrete interfaces via SEM, XRD, and FTIR. Key surface properties, such as hydrophobicity, abrasion resistance, and permeability, will be examined, along with in situ performance and non-destructive evaluation of treated structural elements.
This Special Issue intends to provide a state-of-the-art overview of surface and coating technologies that improve the safety, service life, and sustainability of concrete structures. We welcome fundamental and applied studies, especially those bridging material science and structural performance from a surface-technology perspective.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Novel coating materials and formulations for concrete protection and strengthening.
- Surface preparation, conditioning, and functionalization techniques.
- Interfacial bond behavior and stress transfer in coated or surface-treated systems.
- Long-term durability of coatings and surface treatments under harsh environmental conditions.
- Case studies on coating and surface technology applications in bridges, buildings, and industrial structures.
- Non-destructive testing and in situ monitoring of surface-treated concrete members.
- Modeling and simulation of coating-substrate interactions and performance.
- Life-cycle assessment and environmental impact of surface-treatment interventions.
Dr. Zhi Zheng
Dr. Xiaolan Pan
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
- concrete strengthening
- surface treatments and coatings
- bond behavior
- durability
- structural rehabilitation
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