Transforming Construction Industry: Advances and Perspectives in Sustainable Cementitious and Cementless Materials

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to promote novel scientific papers, presenting innovative cement-based composites for applications in the construction industry.

After water, concrete is the second most used material worldwide and certainly one of the most versatile building materials for structural or non-structural applications. Another recurrent category of materials is represented by those applied in rendering processes and repair and cosmetic works, among which mortar is by far the material of choice in all its diversity in terms of composition and areas of application.

Sustainable bituminous mixtures such as asphalt concrete (AC) play a key role in transportation infrastructure. Following the net-zero approach, these materials can be designed using recycled components with varying amounts of aggregates or additives to replace the binder or virgin aggregate to inflict the least ecological and environmental impact. As the engineering characteristics of the viscoelastic binder are very complex and time- and temperature-dependent for these mixtures, a range of advanced performance testing and analyses is required to ensure the robust performance of the sustainable mixtures.

In recent years, the integration of innovative materials and multi-scale characterization techniques has further advanced the design and performance assessment of asphalt concrete. The incorporation of polymer-modified binders, nanomaterials, and bio-based additives has shown promise in enhancing durability, resistance to fatigue, and long-term sustainability. Moreover, computational modeling and machine learning approaches are increasingly being utilized to predict material behavior under various loading and environmental conditions, facilitating the optimization of mixture designs. These advancements contribute to the development of resilient asphalt concrete designs that align with modern sustainability and resilience goals in transportation engineering.

The composite materials of the future should also be environmentally friendly whilst exhibiting superior fresh-state and durability properties. Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), generated by alternative resources such as recycled waste powders, should not only replace part of the cement mix but should also prove to be substitutes for non-renewable natural sources, whether in the form of aggregates or dispersed reinforcement.

In recent years, it is the end-of-life recycling companies that have been encouraging university researchers to develop practical environmental solutions. The industry is eager to collect, recycle and produce concrete mixes that use alternative materials, such as paving blocks, paving flags, kerb units, interlocking concrete blocks or infrastructure-related products. Once the ”zero” production stage is reached, the next step is to submit and receive approval for the products to be commercially available.

In conclusion, the use of recycled waste in cementitious composites not only improves material performance but also contributes to more sustainable construction practices. These characteristics make green composites an attractive option for the future of the construction industry.

Dear Colleagues, the Editorial Board kindly invites you to submit manuscripts that may raise the awareness level of environmentally friendly composites that tap into the remaining recycling potential of waste products and thus strengthen the competitiveness of the construction industry.

The topics addressed in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Role of supplementary cementitious materials in enhancing the properties of mortar/concrete and reducing the carbon footprint of construction industry;
• Sustainable concrete for structural applications;
• Road and asphalt concrete for greener roads;
• Aggregates in concrete from alternative sources—recycled or natural;
• Innovative approach for assessing the environmental impact of concrete;
• Synergistic effect of SCMs and recycled aggregates on mechanical and durability properties of cement-based materials;
• Novel techniques for assessing the internal structure of cement-based materials.
• Sustainable 3D-printing concrete

The list of proposed keywords is meant to encourage your active initiative and lead to the creation of informative and inspirational content.

Dr. Ofelia-Cornelia Corbu
Dr. Ionut Ovidiu Toma
Guest Editors

Dr. Sepehr Ghaffari
Dr. Dumitru Vasile Moldovan
Guest Editors Assistants

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.

• supplementary cementitious materials
• asphalt concrete
• nano-materials
• recycled aggregates
• recycling industrial wastes
• alternative aggregate
• alternative binders
• low carbon