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Innovative Materials Research Techniques Supporting Sustainable Solutions in Materials Engineering and Circular Economy

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2026 | Viewed by 1318

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Barbara Kozub

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Material Engineering and Physics, Cracow University of Technology, Jana Pawła II 37, 31-864 Cracow, Poland
Interests: composite materials; especially geopolymer composites; powder metallurgy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marek Nykiel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Material Engineering, Faculty of Material Engineering and Physics, Cracow University of Technology, Jana Pawła II 37, 31-864 Cracow, Poland
Interests: thermal analysis; powder metallurgy; geopolymer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Michał Łach

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Materials Engineering and Physics, Cracow University of Technology, Jana Pawła II 37, 31-864 Cracow, Poland
2. Interdisciplinary Center for Circular Economy, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Krakow, Poland
Interests: geopolymer; zeolites; recycling; circular economy; waste immobilization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The challenges of sustainable development and the circular economy require innovative research methods that will allow for more effective design, production, and analysis of materials and processes that minimize environmental impact. This Special Issue invites the submission of monographs focusing on developing and implementing advanced, interdisciplinary research techniques for materials created from industrial waste, secondary raw materials, or other low-quality resources, which is consistent with sustainable development and supports the implementation of circular economy goals.

The thematic scope of this Special Issue includes the following:

  • Modern techniques for structural and surface analysis of recycled materials and new composites in the context of their sustainable use (scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and others);
  • Thermal analysis techniques in research on thermal properties of materials, taking into account thermal insulation, stability and reactivity (differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetry (TGA). differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and others);
  • Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)–application of life cycle assessment methods and computer modelling to predict the impact of new materials and processes on the environment, enabling the design of materials with a low carbon footprint and a closed life cycle.

Dr. Barbara Kozub
Dr. Marek Nykiel
Dr. Michał Łach
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. Materials 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

  • circular economy
  • sustainable materials
  • analytical techniques
  • life cycle analysis (LCA)
  • thermal properties

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

36 pages, 4554 KiB  
Review
Lithium Slag as a Supplementary Cementitious Material for Sustainable Concrete: A Review
by Sajad Razzazan, Nuha S. Mashaan and Themelina Paraskeva
Materials 2025, 18(15), 3641; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18153641 - 2 Aug 2025
Viewed by 412
Abstract
The global cement industry remains a significant contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, prompting substantial research efforts toward sustainable construction materials. Lithium slag (LS), a by-product of lithium extraction, has attracted attention as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). This review synthesizes [...] Read more.
The global cement industry remains a significant contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, prompting substantial research efforts toward sustainable construction materials. Lithium slag (LS), a by-product of lithium extraction, has attracted attention as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). This review synthesizes experimental findings on LS replacement levels, fresh-state behavior, mechanical performance (compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths), time-dependent deformation (shrinkage and creep), and durability (sulfate, acid, abrasion, and thermal) of LS-modified concretes. Statistical analysis identifies an optimal LS dosage of 20–30% (average 24%) for maximizing compressive strength and long-term durability, with 40% as a practical upper limit for tensile and flexural performance. Fresh-state tests show that workability losses at high LS content can be mitigated via superplasticizers. Drying shrinkage and creep strains decrease in a dose-dependent manner with up to 30% LS. High-volume (40%) LS blends achieve up to an 18% gain in 180-day compressive strength and >30% reduction in permeability metrics. Under elevated temperatures, 20% LS mixes retain up to 50% more residual strength than controls. In advanced systems—autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), one-part geopolymers, and recycled aggregate composites—LS further enhances both microstructural densification and durability. In particular, LS emerges as a versatile SCM that optimizes mechanical and durability performance, supports material circularity, and reduces the carbon footprint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Materials Research Techniques Supporting Sustainable Solutions in Materials Engineering and Circular Economy)
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26 pages, 1319 KiB  
Review
Analysis of the Opportunities, Benefits and Risks Associated with the Use of Recycled Materials in Flexible Aircraft Pavements
by Sean Jamieson, Luke Verstraten and Greg White
Materials 2025, 18(13), 3036; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18133036 - 26 Jun 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 461
Abstract
International waste policy promotes the reduction and re-use of waste materials, and in some cases, specifically calls for the use of recycled materials in pavements. In countries like Australia, most of the aircraft pavement network is constructed of flexible pavements. Consequently, understanding the [...] Read more.
International waste policy promotes the reduction and re-use of waste materials, and in some cases, specifically calls for the use of recycled materials in pavements. In countries like Australia, most of the aircraft pavement network is constructed of flexible pavements. Consequently, understanding the opportunities for recycled materials in flexible aircraft pavements is paramount to increasing the technology uptake. This paper reviews opportunities for the incorporation of recycled materials in flexible airport pavement construction, specifically, their application to particle substitution in unbound and asphaltic layers, use in stabilization treatments, and use as a bitumen modifier. Additionally, environmental product declarations are reviewed to provide a range of typical environmental costs for each recycled material when considering material processing for incorporation into flexible pavements. These materials are compared to virgin material environmental costs to determine which recycled materials provide the highest environmental benefit potential. It was concluded that particle replacement in unbound layers with waste materials had a similar environmental cost to using virgin materials. However, the requirement to dispose of waste material to the landfill can be significantly reduced. For asphaltic layers, recycled asphalt pavement as an asphalt mixture replacement, fly ash as a hydrated lime replacement, and waste plastic and crumbed rubber as a virgin polymer replacement all are effective in reducing the environmental cost. To further increase the technology uptake, a risk-based approach for the implementation of waste materials in airport flexible pavements is recommended, which considers performance testing, the depth of the pavement layer, and the pavement functional area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Materials Research Techniques Supporting Sustainable Solutions in Materials Engineering and Circular Economy)
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