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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tanvir Qureshi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
Interests: alternative binder concrete; self-healing concrete; recycled waste materials; supplimentary cementitious materials; smart cement based composite; multifunctional concrete; microstructure; durability performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Guorui Wang

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada
Interests: graphene nanocomposites; nanomechanics; interfaces; 2D materials; thin films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Guest Editor is inviting submissions to a Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of “Graphene-Based Nanocomposite Materials for Smart Structural Applications”. Graphene-based nanomaterials have started to show a promising performance in the improvement and modification of advanced construction materials for smart structural applications. There have been many emerging techniques for the incorporation of graphene-based materials for multifunctional composite systems, smart self-sensing, strength, and overall service performance enhancement during engineering structural applications. The modification of sustainable construction materials and optimisation and control techniques are important for the efficient use of energy systems.

This Special Issue will deal with novel graphene-based nanocomposite materials development, properties and performance optimisation, data processing, and application techniques leading to smart structural applications. Topics of interest for publication include but are not limited to:

Self-sensing composites;
Piezoelectric and dielectric properties;
Smart response;
Graphene cement-based composite;
Graphene polymer-based composite;
Microstructural modification;
Nano coating of steel reinforcement bar;
Graphene modified shape memory alloys;
Structural health monitoring;
Optimisation of mechanical and durability performance;
Dispersion of graphene based materials;
Optimisation of sustainable construction materials;
Synthesis and characterisation;
Energy storage system;
Application of IoT and/or AI for smart infrastructure.

Dr. Tanvir Qureshi
Dr. Guorui Wang
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. Energies 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

Self-sensing
Piezoelectric
Multifunctionality
Graphene cement composite
Graphene polymer composite
Coating
Smart structure
Nano-microstructural observation
Mechanical properties
Durability
Dispersion
Microstructural modification
Electrical conductivity
Nano-reinforced composite
Optimisation techniques
Graphene oxide
Reduced graphene oxide
Graphene nanoplatelet
Synthesis and characterisation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 4857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication of PDMS/GA Composite Materials by Pickering Emulsion Method and Its Application for Oil-Water Separation

by Biao Wang, Qingwang Liu, Zhenzhong Fan, Ting Liang, Qilei Tong and Yuanfeng Fu

Energies 2021, 14(17), 5283; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14175283 - 26 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2375

Abstract

With the intensification of human activities, a large amount of oil and organic solvent waste has been created, resulting in serious ecological and environmental pollution. Therefore, how to balance environmental benefits and economic benefits control a large number of organic solvent and oil pollution is an urgent problem. To solve this problem, a highly efficient oil-water separation material was designed and prepared in this paper. Graphene oxide aerogels were synthesized by the Pickering emulsion and hydrothermal method, and then hydrophobically lipophilic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) reduced graphene oxide aerogel composites (PDMS/GA) were obtained by modification of PDMS. The surface functional groups, hydrophobicity, thermal stability, and micromorphology of the materials were tested by various characterization methods. Their properties were tested by an oil absorption test and repeated experiments. The oil absorption performance experiments and repeated performance experiments of PDMS/GA are reported. The number of oxy-gen-containing functional groups of the modified graphene oxide (GO) decreased, and the contact angle of water was 134.4°. The adsorption capacity of n-hexane was up to 18.5 times its own weight. The material has the advantages of being lightweight, easy to recover, good hydrophobicity and lipophilicity, and has the potential for large-scale applications in the field of oil-water separation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene Based Nanocomposite Materials for Smart Structural Applications)

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Review

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23 pages, 4067 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Graphene in Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites: A Review

by Songmei Wu, Tanvir Qureshi and Guorui Wang

Energies 2021, 14(15), 4614; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14154614 - 30 Jul 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4253

Abstract

Graphene with fascinating properties has been deemed as an excellent reinforcement for cementitious composites, enabling construction materials to be smarter, stronger, and more durable. However, some challenges such as dispersion issues and high costs, hinder the direct incorporation of graphene-based reinforcement fillers into cementitious composites for industrial production. The combination of graphene with conventional fibers to reinforce cement hence appears as a more promising pathway especially towards the commercialization of graphene for cementitious materials. In this review paper, a critical and synthetical overview on recent research findings of the implementation of graphene in fiber-reinforced cementitious composites was conducted. The preparation and characterization methods of hybrid graphene-fiber fillers are first introduced. Mechanical reinforcing mechanisms are subsequently summarized, highlighting the main contribution of nucleation effect, filling effect, interfacial bonding effect, and toughening effect. The review further presents in detail the enhancements of multifunctional properties of graphene-fiber reinforced cementitious composites, involving the interfacial properties, mechanical properties, durability, electrical conductivity, and electromagnetic interference shielding. The main challenges and future prospects are finally discussed to provide constructive ideas and guidance to assist with relevant studies in future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene Based Nanocomposite Materials for Smart Structural Applications)

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