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Innovative Approaches in Asphalt Binder Modification and Performance

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 3791

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Interests: asphalt aging behavior and mechanism; green and environmentally friendly materials; asphalt pavement

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Interests: pavement material; asphalt pavement; fatigue damage; meso-scale simulation; micro scale characteristic; discrete element method; mesoscopic cracking
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Asphalt binders are essential to the performance and longevity of road pavements, yet traditional binders face challenges such as aging, temperature fluctuations, and increasing traffic loads. To overcome these limitations, innovative approaches in binder modification, using polymers, nanomaterials, and bio-based additives, have emerged, significantly improving the mechanical and rheological properties of asphalt. These advancements enhance resistance to deformation, cracking, and environmental degradation, leading to more durable and resilient pavements.

In parallel, sustainable practices in binder modification are gaining attention. Researchers are exploring the use of recycled materials and environmentally friendly additives to reduce the ecological impact of pavement construction without compromising performance. Additionally, advanced characterization and testing methods are enabling more precise assessments of binder behavior, optimizing formulations for different climates and conditions.

This Special Issue invites original research and reviews on innovative approaches in asphalt binder modification and performance, including the following topics:

  • Novel modifiers for asphalt binders;
  • Advanced technologies in binder modification;
  • Performance evaluation and testing methods;
  • Durability and aging studies;
  • Sustainable approaches in binder modification.

We look forward to your valuable contributions to advance pavement engineering and infrastructure sustainability.

Dr. Yong Wen
Dr. Xiaokang Zhao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • asphalt binder modification
  • innovative materials
  • performance evaluation
  • pavement engineering
  • sustainable additives

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 9135 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Characterization of Asphalt Plant Reclaimed Powder Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
by Hao Wu, Daoan Yu, Wentao Wang, Chuanqi Yan, Rui Xiao, Rong Chen, Peng Zhang and Hengji Zhang
Materials 2025, 18(15), 3660; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18153660 - 4 Aug 2025
Viewed by 353
Abstract
Asphalt plant reclaimed powder is a common solid waste in road engineering. Reusing reclaimed powder as filler holds significant importance for environmental protection and resource conservation. The key factors affecting the feasibility of reclaimed powder reuse are its acidity/alkalinity and cleanliness. Traditional evaluation [...] Read more.
Asphalt plant reclaimed powder is a common solid waste in road engineering. Reusing reclaimed powder as filler holds significant importance for environmental protection and resource conservation. The key factors affecting the feasibility of reclaimed powder reuse are its acidity/alkalinity and cleanliness. Traditional evaluation methods, such as the methylene blue test and plasticity index, can assess reclaimed powder properties to guide its recycling. However, these methods suffer from inefficiency, strong empirical dependence, and high variability. To address these limitations, this study proposes a rapid and precise evaluation method for reclaimed powder properties based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). To do so, five field-collected reclaimed powder samples and four artificial samples were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize their microphase morphology, chemical composition, and crystal structure, respectively. Subsequently, FTIR was used to establish correlations between key acidity/alkalinity, cleanliness, and multiple characteristic peak intensities. Representative infrared characteristic peaks were selected, and a quantitative functional group index (Is) was proposed to simultaneously evaluate acidity/alkalinity and cleanliness. The results indicate that reclaimed powder primarily consists of tiny, crushed stone particles and dust, with significant variations in crystal structure and chemical composition, including calcium carbonate, silicon oxide, iron oxide, and aluminum oxide. Some samples also contained clay, which critically influenced the reclaimed powder properties. Since both filler acidity/alkalinity and cleanliness are affected by clay (silicon/carbon ratio determining acidity/alkalinity and aluminosilicate content affecting cleanliness), this study calculated four functional group indices based on FTIR absorption peaks, namely the Si-O-Si stretching vibration (1000 cm−1) and the CO32− asymmetric stretching vibration (1400 cm−1). These indices were correlated with conventional testing results (XRF for acidity/alkalinity, methylene blue value, and pull-off strength for cleanliness). The results show that the Is index exhibited strong correlations (R2 = 0.89 with XRF, R2 = 0.80 with methylene blue value, and R2 = 0.96 with pull-off strength), demonstrating its effectiveness in predicting both acidity/alkalinity and cleanliness. The developed method enhances reclaimed powder detection efficiency and facilitates high-value recycling in road engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Asphalt Binder Modification and Performance)
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21 pages, 3663 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Road Performance of the Self-Healing Microcapsule for Asphalt Pavement
by Pei Li, Rongyi Ji, Chenlong Zhang, Jinghan Xu, Mulian Zheng and Xinghan Song
Materials 2025, 18(15), 3483; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18153483 - 25 Jul 2025
Viewed by 480
Abstract
Asphalt pavement cracking is an important factor affecting its service life. Under certain conditions, the self-healing behavior of asphalt itself can repair pavement cracks. However, the self-healing ability of asphalt itself is limited. In order to strengthen the self-healing ability of asphalt, the [...] Read more.
Asphalt pavement cracking is an important factor affecting its service life. Under certain conditions, the self-healing behavior of asphalt itself can repair pavement cracks. However, the self-healing ability of asphalt itself is limited. In order to strengthen the self-healing ability of asphalt, the microcapsule wrapped with a repair agent is pre-mixed into the asphalt mixture. When the crack occurs and spreads to the surface of the microcapsule, the microcapsule ruptures and the healing agent flows out to realize the self-healing of the crack. Current microcapsules are mostly prepared with healing agents and bio-oil as core materials, and their high-temperature resistance to rutting is poor. While the epoxy resin contains a three-membered cyclic ether, it can undergo ring-opening polymerization to bond and repair the asphalt matrix. In addition, research on microcapsules mainly focuses on the self-healing properties of microcapsule-modified asphalt. In fact, before adding microcapsules to asphalt to improve its self-healing performance, it is necessary to ensure that the asphalt has a good road performance. On this basis, the self-healing performance of asphalt is improved, thereby extending the service life of asphalt pavement. Therefore, two-component epoxy self-healing microcapsules (E-mic and G-mic) were first prepared in this paper. Then, a temperature scanning test, rheological test of bending beams, and linear amplitude scanning test were, respectively, conducted for the microcapsule/asphalt to evaluate its road performance, including the high-temperature performance, low-temperature crack resistance, and fatigue performance. Finally, the self-healing performance of microcapsules/asphalt was tested. The results showed that the self-developed epoxy self-healing microcapsules were well encapsulated and presented as spherical micron-sized particles. The average particle size of the E-mic was approximately 23.582 μm, while the average particle size of the G-mic was approximately 22.440 μm, exhibiting a good normal distribution. In addition, they can remain intact and unbroken under high-temperature conditions. The results of road performance tests indicated that the microcapsule/asphalt mixture exhibits an excellent high-temperature resistance to permanent deformation, low-temperature crack resistance, and fatigue resistance. The self-healing test demonstrated that the microcapsule/asphalt exhibited an excellent self-healing performance. When the microcapsule content was 4%, the self-healing rate reached its optimal level of 67.8%, which was 149.2% higher than that of the base asphalt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Asphalt Binder Modification and Performance)
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17 pages, 6189 KiB  
Article
Research on Crack Resistance of Foamed Rubber Asphalt Cold Recycled Mixtures Based on Semi-Circular Bending Test
by Zhen Shen, Shikun Wang, Zhe Hu and Xiaokang Zhao
Materials 2025, 18(12), 2684; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18122684 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 480
Abstract
Foamed asphalt cold recycled mixtures can provide an effective approach for the reutilization of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), but conventional asphalt foaming technology primarily exploits matrix asphalt as the raw material. To address this issue, this study explores rubberized asphalt with cold recycling [...] Read more.
Foamed asphalt cold recycled mixtures can provide an effective approach for the reutilization of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), but conventional asphalt foaming technology primarily exploits matrix asphalt as the raw material. To address this issue, this study explores rubberized asphalt with cold recycling technology to develop a foamed rubber asphalt cold recycled mixture (FRCM). The semi-circular bending (SCB) test was employed to investigate its cracking resistance. Load–crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD)–time curves under various temperatures were analyzed, and digital image technique was resorted to monitor crack propagation and growth rates. Fracture toughness, fracture energy, and flexibility index were compared with those of traditional foamed matrix asphalt cold recycled mixture (FMCM). The results show that, under the same test temperature, the FRCM exhibits slower crack propagation; larger peak load; and higher fracture toughness, fracture energy, and flexibility index in comparison with the FMCM. These improvements are more pronounced at low temperatures. For both mixtures, fracture toughness and fracture energy are decreased with increasing the temperature, while the flexibility index shows the opposite trend. The rigid zone accounts for a larger portion of fracture energy at low temperatures. The findings provide technical references for improving the cracking resistance of cold recycled asphalt layers using rubberized asphalt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Asphalt Binder Modification and Performance)
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12 pages, 2269 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Rutting and Aging Performance of Gap-Graded Rubberized Asphalt Mixtures
by Marek Pszczola and Bohdan Dolzycki
Materials 2025, 18(10), 2263; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18102263 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 478
Abstract
Gap-graded asphalt mixtures like stone mastic asphalt (SMA), porous asphalt (PA), and asphalt mixtures for very thin layers (fr. Béton Bitumineuse Très Mince—BBTM) are usually made with the use of SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) polymer-modified bitumen. This is a binder that allows one to achieve [...] Read more.
Gap-graded asphalt mixtures like stone mastic asphalt (SMA), porous asphalt (PA), and asphalt mixtures for very thin layers (fr. Béton Bitumineuse Très Mince—BBTM) are usually made with the use of SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) polymer-modified bitumen. This is a binder that allows one to achieve the required parameters, but at the same time, its use increases the costs of making pavement layers. An alternative to polymer-modified bitumen (SBS) is rubber-modified bitumen. The research presented in this publication includes an assessment of the resistance to permanent deformation and susceptibility to aging of SMA and porous asphalt (PA) mixtures containing both SBS polymer-modified bitumen and rubber-modified bitumen, where the modification process was carried out directly in the refinery. The laboratory tests of resistance to deformation were assessed based on the rutting test and on the assessment of the dynamic modulus (SPT). The changes in the tested asphalt mixtures after aging in laboratory conditions were assessed based on the changes in the stiffness modulus (IT-CY) and the changes in the indirect tensile strength (ITS) after the short-term and long-term aging processes. The presented research results clearly show that the use of rubber-modified bitumen produced in industrial conditions (i.e., in a refinery) allows one to obtain gap-graded mixtures that are as resistant to permanent deformation as mixtures containing SBS polymer-modified bitumen. Similar conclusions resulted from the study of susceptibility to aging. Changes after aging for both types of asphalt mixtures were at a similar level. The presented results clearly indicate that, in the case of gap-graded mixtures such as SMA- and PA-type mixtures, they meet the rutting and aging expectations when either expensive modified bitumen or a cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative (rubber-modified bitumen) is used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Asphalt Binder Modification and Performance)
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18 pages, 5139 KiB  
Article
Effects of Complex Environmental Conditions on Fatigue Self-Healing Properties of Fast-Melting SBS-Modified Asphalt
by Jinchao Yue, Jiahao Fu, Yihan Wang, Yang Ming, Guoqi Tang and Ruixia Li
Materials 2025, 18(9), 2157; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092157 - 7 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 477
Abstract
Asphalt pavements are prone to various distresses under complex environmental influences during service, which significantly affects their fatigue life. This study conducted complex environmental simulation tests, including pressure aging, ultraviolet (UV) aging, and coupling effects with salt solutions at different concentrations. A dynamic [...] Read more.
Asphalt pavements are prone to various distresses under complex environmental influences during service, which significantly affects their fatigue life. This study conducted complex environmental simulation tests, including pressure aging, ultraviolet (UV) aging, and coupling effects with salt solutions at different concentrations. A dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) was employed to perform frequency sweep tests, linear amplitude sweep (LAS) tests, and fatigue–healing–fatigue tests. The fatigue self-healing properties of fast-melting SBS (SBS-T)-modified asphalt were evaluated based on the viscoelastic continuous damage theory. The results indicate that coupled aging effects significantly increase the viscoelastic characteristic parameters of SBS-T-modified asphalt, with more elastic components transforming into viscous components. Compared to other aging effects, the coupled pressure-UV-salt solution condition induces the most severe degradation in the fatigue durability of SBS-T-modified asphalt. Simultaneously, the self-healing capability of aged asphalt is also reduced. Specifically, with increasing strain, more complex aging conditions lead to the faster deterioration of asphalt fatigue life and lower self-healing capacity. While asphalt demonstrates measurable fatigue life restoration through self-healing, the synergistic coupling of salt solution exposure and multi-factor aging significantly compromises both the absolute fatigue resistance and the relative recovery efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Asphalt Binder Modification and Performance)
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20 pages, 4327 KiB  
Article
Suitable Granular Road Base from Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement
by Oswaldo Guerrero-Bustamante, Amparo Guillen, Fernando Moreno-Navarro, M. C. Rubio-Gámez and Miguel Sol-Sánchez
Materials 2025, 18(4), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18040854 - 15 Feb 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 909
Abstract
The granular bases commonly used in the construction of road infrastructure projects often require a high consumption of raw materials. The potential utilization of recycled materials, specifically Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) derived from road asphalt pavement demolition, emerges as a promising sustainable advantage [...] Read more.
The granular bases commonly used in the construction of road infrastructure projects often require a high consumption of raw materials. The potential utilization of recycled materials, specifically Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) derived from road asphalt pavement demolition, emerges as a promising sustainable advantage for infrastructure projects, considering its potential environmental and cost benefits in other layers of the structure. In this context, this research proposes a feasibility study on the use of RAP as a granular base layer, supported by an advanced laboratory analysis that includes a range of tests simulating the in-service conditions as well as a full-scale demonstration of the material behavior under static and dynamic loads. Various design variables, such as different gradations and binder content, are considered. The results demonstrate that, despite having discontinuous gradation and smaller aggregate sizes than those commonly applied in natural base layers, the evaluated recycled materials exhibit a higher load-bearing capacity and resistance to permanent deformation than the reference materials commonly used as granular bases. Notable enhancements of up to 30% in elastic modulus, coupled with reductions of around 20% in permanent deformations, have been documented using the asphalt cement potential in the old pavement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Asphalt Binder Modification and Performance)
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