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Polymers
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Application of Polymers in Cementitious Materials
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Application of Polymers in Cementitious Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1228

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jun Ren

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Guest Editor
School of Architecture and Planning, Yunnan University, Kunming 650106, China
Interests: low carbon cementitious materials; self-healing concrete; recycled aggregate concrete; microbial induced carbonate precipitation; polycarboxylate superplasticisers; utilisation of solid wasteng cementitious materials; chemical admixture; alkali-activated cement; utilisation of solid waste
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tangwei Mi

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Guest Editor
School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK
Interests: reinforced concrete durability; low-carbon cementitious materials; recycled construction materials; concrete structural health monitoring; artificial intelligence in construction; sustainable construction technologies; corrosion resistance of concrete structures; advanced cement-based composites
Dr. Dafu Wang

E-Mail
Guest Editor
School of Architecture and Planning, Yunnan University, Kunming 650000, China
Interests: durability of cement-based materials; corrosion resistance of concrete structures; intelligent monitoring of concrete structures; green cementitious materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers play a significant role in improving the properties of cementitious materials, contributing to improving their fresh and hardened properties, durability, and versatility in construction. However, due to the different natures of the materials, a better understanding of their behavior in cementitious matrix, mechanism of improvement, and interactions with substances under various chemical, environmental, and service conditions is required. This Special Issue of Polymers (MDPI) aims to bring together cutting-edge research that advances the knowledge of polymers in modifying the properties of low-carbon cementitious materials, particularly their effects on fresh and mechanical performance, durability, interactions, as well as the theory of improvement.

Key topics include performance improvement, such as fresh properties, mechanical performance, durability, as well as novel approaches to enhancing long-term properties and extending service life. Contributions on innovative low-carbon and high-performance cementitious materials, fiber-reinforced composites, and self-healing concrete, are also welcome. Additionally, experimental investigation and numerical simulation on the interactions between materials, as well as improvement mechanisms, are encouraged.

This Special Issue seeks to highlight both experimental investigations and computational modeling efforts that modify the properties and improve the performance of cement and concrete. Researchers and industry professionals are invited to submit their latest findings to foster the development of construction materials and techniques.

Dr. Jun Ren
Dr. Tangwei Mi
Dr. Dafu Wang
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 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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • polymers
  • cement
  • concrete
  • fresh property
  • hardened property
  • durability
  • mechanism

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 5794 KiB  
Article
Polymers in Sustainable Construction Composites: Rheology, Mechanical Performance, and Durability
by Yahya Kaya, Veysel Kobya, Murteda Ünverdi, Naz Mardani and Ali Mardani
Polymers 2025, 17(16), 2186; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17162186 - 9 Aug 2025
Viewed by 359
Abstract
Today, various strategies are being adopted to produce more environmentally friendly cementitious systems. A commonly adopted strategy is the enhancement of energy efficiency in the clinker grinding process through the use of grinding aids (GAs). Another approach is to reduce cement consumption by [...] Read more.
Today, various strategies are being adopted to produce more environmentally friendly cementitious systems. A commonly adopted strategy is the enhancement of energy efficiency in the clinker grinding process through the use of grinding aids (GAs). Another approach is to reduce cement consumption by partially replacing cement with mineral additives such as fly ash. The literature has highlighted that the use of GAs during clinker grinding can narrow the particle size distribution, thereby promoting higher rates of mineral additive replacement. Nevertheless, the literature still lacks comprehensive insight into how the combined application of commonly used GAs influences the substitution levels of mineral additives. In this regard, this study thoroughly examined the influence of varying proportions and dosages of Triethanolamine (TEA) and Triisopropanolamine (TIPA)—two commonly employed grinding aids—on the hydration kinetics, compressive strength development, and life cycle performance of fly ash (FA)-blended cementitious systems. The mixtures prepared with the cements produced were analyzed through XRD, TGA, and SEM techniques, and the compressive strength results were evaluated using the Taguchi method. The results demonstrated that, irrespective of the type of additive used, the use of GAs enhanced pozzolanic activity and compressive strength. In particular, the GA combination containing 75% TIPA and 25% TEA proved the most superior results in terms of hydration kinetics, mechanical strength, and environmental performance. It was demonstrated that the combined use of TEA and TIPA in specific proportions creates a synergistic effect, enabling the development of more efficient binder systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Polymers in Cementitious Materials)
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16 pages, 3652 KiB  
Article
Performance and Mechanism of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer in Red Mud Blended Cementitious Materials
by Lei Yang, Pengfei Wang, Shuqiong Luo, Yaxin Wang and Shengye Xu
Polymers 2025, 17(13), 1738; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17131738 - 22 Jun 2025
Viewed by 569
Abstract
The utilization of red mud by blending it into cement paste is still facing poor workability issues due to the finer particle size and higher water absorption of red mud, which can be solved by the addition of polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) to effectively [...] Read more.
The utilization of red mud by blending it into cement paste is still facing poor workability issues due to the finer particle size and higher water absorption of red mud, which can be solved by the addition of polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) to effectively maintain the working performance. However, the specific mechanisms by which different topologies of PCEs, in terms of water-reducing (WR)- and slump-retaining (SR)-type PCEs, influence red mud blended cement paste require further clarification. This research investigates the effect of WR-PCE and SR-PCE on the rheological properties, mechanical properties, and microscopic morphology of red mud blended cement paste under different red mud contents. The results demonstrated that at saturated dosages of 0.5% WR-PCE and 0.75% SR-PCE, both types of PCEs improved paste fluidity and reduced plastic viscosity and shear stress. Moreover, the time-dependent fluidity loss rate of the SR-PCE-incorporated paste was lower to that of the WR-PCE-incorporated paste at 30 and 60 min. With 0% and 25% red mud contents, the compressive strengths at 1, 3, 7, and 28 days were higher for WR-PCE than for SR-PCE due to the enhanced hydration of C2S and C3S. Furthermore, hydration products in the WR-PCE-incorporated paste were more uniformly distributed compared to the SR-PCE-incorporated paste. However, a 50% red mud content negatively impacted paste strength, likely due to the high alkalinity destabilizing the PCE. This study aims to elucidate the mechanistic relationship between PCE topology and the improved performance of red mud blended cement paste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Polymers in Cementitious Materials)
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