Multifunctional Smart Building Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Resource Development

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable development of infrastructure and underground resources faces growing constraints from extreme environmental and operational conditions, including high stress, high temperature, and significant hydrostatic pressure, as well as substantial environmental impacts from industrial by-products and waste. Multifunctional smart materials and significant advancements in engineering technologies jointly support safe, environmentally friendly, and efficient resource utilization in the construction sector.

This Special Issue aims to provide theoretical insights and practical solutions for sustainable building and material development, focusing on the deterioration mechanisms of construction materials, innovations and applications of novel building materials, and technologies for monitoring and predicting structural performance. We prioritize interdisciplinary advancements in materials science, civil engineering, environmental science, sustainable development, and social innovation. Submissions should emphasize scientific breakthroughs in the following domains, but are not limited to:

(1) Performance of construction and building materials: Mechanical properties of structural materials, high-performance concrete and composites, long-term durability and stability of building structures, extreme loading, harsh environments, and characterizations, etc.;

(2) Innovation and application of new building materials: Hybrid and multi-material structural systems, high-strength and sustainable construction materials, renewable and low-environmental-impact materials, self-healing materials, sensor-integrated smart building materials, 3D printed composite structures, etc.;

(3) Multi-criteria characterization and sustainability validation: AI utilization at different components in construction waste recycling, construction waste recycling and solidification evaluation, net zero transition and decarbonization in waste recycling, etc.

We aspire to inspire the utilization of advanced materials and technologies, as well as theoretical and simulation studies closely related to these areas, to tackle current challenges in modern construction and infrastructure engineering. Furthermore, we encourage new research findings in building materials science and structural engineering. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Gang Ma
Dr. Xiang Zhou
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 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-anonymized 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.