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Advances in Repair Materials for Sustainable Building
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Advances in Repair Materials for Sustainable Building

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 1888

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ilaria Capasso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Geology, University of Chieti-Pescara “G d’Annunzio”, Viale Pindaro 43, 65127 Pescara, Italy
Interests: materials science; geopolymers; construction and building materials; waste recycling; porous and foamy inorganic materials; hybrid foams; sustainable and innovative building materials; thermal-acoustic insulating materials; chemical-physical, microstructural, and mechanical characterization of materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Interventions regarding cultural heritage or historical built heritage require investigation of themes inherent to both traditional and innovative materials, as well as of techniques and their degradation. Sustainable materials and modern construction techniques are increasingly being adopted to preserve cultural heritage, minimizing environmental impact and responding, at the same time, to compatibility problems. Moreover, reversible and non-invasive interventions are preferred to respect the integrity of original structures and allow future adjustments.

The aim of this Special Issue of Materials is to cover the most recent scientific research about combinations of tradition with innovation, ensuring not only the protection of architectural heritage but also alignment with restoration projects with modern sustainability standards. The main topics of interest are the design and production of eco-friendly repairing materials, the use of natural/waste materials, alkaline activation for the manufacturing of sustainable building materials, the development of innovative methodologies and digital technologies both for the protection, restoration, and renovation of cultural heritage and buildings of historical–architectural interest, as well as for the evaluation of their state of deterioration.

Original research articles, case studies, and review papers that contribute to advancing knowledge in both civil and historical building conservation, particularly in relation to sustainability and innovation, are welcome.

Dr. Ilaria Capasso
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 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. 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

  • sustainable repairing materials
  • eco-friendly building materials
  • historical buildings conservation
  • protection methods for cultural heritage
  • sustainable heritage restoration
  • green buildings

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2302 KB  
Article
Innovative Lightweight Concrete with Carbonated Magnesium-Based Pellets
by Onur Sahin, Enis Coşkun and Abdullah Huzeyfe Akca
Materials 2026, 19(5), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19051038 - 9 Mar 2026
Viewed by 291
Abstract
The construction industry requires sustainable building materials to reduce its environmental impact. While using these materials in newly constructed structures primarily focuses on environmental benefits, their application in the protection of architectural heritage presents an additional requirement. These materials must be physically and [...] Read more.
The construction industry requires sustainable building materials to reduce its environmental impact. While using these materials in newly constructed structures primarily focuses on environmental benefits, their application in the protection of architectural heritage presents an additional requirement. These materials must be physically and chemically compatible with historical substrates to ensure the longevity of the structure. Therefore, developing eco-friendly and compatible restoration materials is a significant concern. This study aims to produce artificial aggregates to develop lightweight concrete for structural interventions and reduce natural resource consumption (i.e., minimizing the destructive extraction of natural river sand and crushed stone aggregates). Magnesium-based binders were used to mimic the carbonation process of historical lime mortars. The binders were mixed with water, shaped into coarse pellets, and cured in a CO2 incubator for 3 and 14 days before being used in concrete production. The results show that using artificial aggregates decreased the concrete density by approximately 16.5%. Since reducing the dead load improves the seismic safety of historical masonry structures, this reduction is critical. Although the compressive strength decreased compared to natural aggregate concrete, the 14-day cured series achieved a strength of 34.7 MPa. This demonstrates that the material can be used in restoration interventions where stiffness compatibility is essential (e.g., vault infills, ring beams, or floor screeds). At the same time, since magnesium-based artificial lightweight pellets have CO2 sequestration capacity, they can be used as a carbon-negative solution for both historical structures and broader civil infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Repair Materials for Sustainable Building)
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25 pages, 2572 KB  
Article
Calcium-Rich Fly Ash as a Sustainable Supplementary Cementitious Material for Enhanced Sulfate Resistance and Durability of Cementitious Composites: Experimental and Microstructural Perspectives
by Nikolaos Chousidis and George Batis
Materials 2025, 18(18), 4238; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18184238 - 9 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1130
Abstract
This study explores the potential of calcium-rich fly ash from the Ptolemais region in Greece as a partial cement replacement for improving sulfate resistance in cementitious composites. An integrated experimental program, combining mechanical testing, electrochemical corrosion monitoring and microstructural characterization, was designed to [...] Read more.
This study explores the potential of calcium-rich fly ash from the Ptolemais region in Greece as a partial cement replacement for improving sulfate resistance in cementitious composites. An integrated experimental program, combining mechanical testing, electrochemical corrosion monitoring and microstructural characterization, was designed to capture the progression of material properties over time and their impact on performance. The experimental results proved that, at early ages, incorporation of fly ash led to reductions in compressive, tensile and bond strengths, attributed to delayed pozzolanic reactivity. However, over prolonged curing, secondary reactions consumed portlandite and generated additional calcium silicate hydrate, refining the pore network and reducing permeability. These microstructural improvements were associated with enhanced mechanical performance, improved durability indices and markedly lower reinforcement corrosion rates. Bond tests further revealed a shift from brittle to a more ductile response, offering advantages for repair applications. These findings establish calcium-rich Ptolemais fly ash as a as a sustainable and promising supplementary cementitious material that substantially enhances the long-term durability and sulfate resistance of cementitious systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Repair Materials for Sustainable Building)
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