Multifunctional Materials for Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Buildings
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: non-destructive testing, advanced Materials, structures and technologies; acoustic emission method; new building materials; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Multifunctional building materials—capable of thermal regulation, energy harvesting, moisture buffering, self-sensing, self-healing, and enhanced durability—are reshaping how we design envelopes and load-bearing systems for low-carbon, climate-resilient buildings. Recent advances span phase-change-material (PCM)-enhanced components, aerogels and vacuum insulation, bio-based and recycled composites, self-sensing cementitious matrices for in situ monitoring, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs). Together, these technologies target both operational and embodied impacts across the building life cycle. This Special Issue seeks contributions that connect material design and processing with rigorous performance verification and modelling, from lab to field.
We welcome studies covering the following:
- Synthesis, processing, and microstructural tailoring of multifunctional materials;
- Comprehensive characterisation using destructive (e.g., mechanical/fracture, fire, durability) and non-destructive methods (e.g., ultrasonics, impact-echo, impedance spectroscopy, acoustic emission, SHM);
- Multi-physics and multi-scale models (heat–moisture–mechanics–electrical), digital twins, and data-driven/AI frameworks;
- Hygrothermal and thermo-mechanical simulations at component and whole-building levels;
- Life-cycle/embodied-carbon, techno-economic, and circularity assessments, including retrofit case studies.
Original research articles, reviews, and short communications are invited. The Special Issue aims to bridge materials science, structural engineering, and building physics to accelerate deployable, verifiable, and truly sustainable solutions for new and existing buildings. The scope aligns with current progress in PCMs, BIPV, self-sensing cementitious materials, and LCA/hygrothermal modelling. I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Libor Topolář
Guest Editor
Dr. Libor Topolár
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.
Keywords
- multifunctional building materials
- energy-efficient envelopes
- self-sensing
- cementitious composites / SHM
- phase change materials (PCM)
- building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs)
- hygrothermal and thermo-mechanical modelling
- non-destructive testing (NDT)
- destructive testing and durability
- life-cycle assessment (LCA) and embodied carbon
- bio-based and recycled materials
- fire performance and resilience
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