Advances in Refractory Materials: Design, Microstructure, Properties and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Advances in Refractory Materials: Design, Microstructure, Properties and Applications”, is relevant to all scientists who adhere to the principle “from science to technology”. Refractories (or refractory materials) are inorganic, non-metallic, porous, and heterogeneous materials, which are composed of thermally stable mineral aggregates, a binder phase, and additives. ASTM-C71 defines refractories as “non-metallic materials having those chemical and physical properties that make them applicable for structures, or as components of systems, that are exposed to environments above 1 000 °F (538 °C)”. Refractories’ performance affects metallurgy (iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals), energy and chemicals, glass and ceramic, and cement manufactures in the production cost and the quality of the products. Cement, lime, steel, non-ferrous metals, glass, ceramics, and other materials are essential to our daily lives are made through a high-temperature heat treatment process. The use of refractories, including both special shaped refractories and various monolithic refractories, is essential for these processes. Since refractories in different areas of a furnace suffer different operating environments, it is necessary to develop state-of-the art refractories with improved corrosion resistance and the best thermomechanical properties.

This Special Issue will accept papers concerning, e.g., enhanced corrosion resistance of refractories, physical properties and corrosion resistance of refractories, cement-containing and cement-free castables, spinel-containing and spinel-forming castables, raw materials for refractories, environment-friendly and chromium (Cr)-free refractories, carbon (C)-containing refractories, recycling of refractories, deep learning and machine learning in refractories technology, prediction of refractory wear with machine learning methods, calcium aluminate cement hydration, novel binders alternative to calcium aluminate cements, cements for high performance concretes, methods of refractories investigation, and other important topics.

Prof. Dr. Dominika Madej
Guest Editor

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.

• refractories
• castables
• corrosion
• materials and design
• structure
• mechanical and thermomechanical properties
• raw materials for refractories
• structure
• microstructure
• methods of refractories investigation