New Findings in Cementitious Materials (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

The discovery and exploitation of materials has greatly influenced our advancement as a civilization and enabled great improvements in our quality of life. This is especially true in the case of the materials of modern construction, viz. cement, concrete, and steel, which have led to the emplacement of buildings and infrastructure which fulfill functions ranging from human habitation structures, to sanitation and water conveyance systems and infrastructure. While, unarguably, cement, concrete (i.e., a mixture of cement, sand, stone, and water), and steel have found extensive use in the construction of building and infrastructure—e.g., in the construction of framed steel and reinforced concrete structures—the environmental impact of these materials poses foundational challenges. For example, at the current level of production—around 4.2 B tons in 2022—cement alone is responsible for nearly 9% of global CO₂ emissions. This number is only expected to grow as development-related construction in Asia and Africa further expands the scale of cement production. This is an issue not only for the obvious impacts on climate change, but also because the imposition of CO₂ penalties is expected to, in time, double the price of cement. The implications of this are straightforward, i.e., materials engineers working in the civil engineering field need to:

• Identify alternate materials: Identify compositionally optimal, low-CO₂ materials which can be used to replace and thereby reduce the use of cement as the binder in concrete or propose novel, functionally effective, and environmentally friendly construction materials;
• Extend the service-life of infrastructure: Develop functional pathways to mitigate steel corrosion, which is unarguably the leading cause of premature structural decay of infrastructure.

Taking all of the above into consideration, this Special Issue aims to highlight recent findings and provide useful guidelines or problem solution options to consider for scientists and engineers dealing with sustainability and durability of the construction materials.

Dr. Lauren Yolanda Gómez-Zamorano
Dr. Magdalena Balonis
Guest Editors

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• corrosion
• durability
• sustainability
• low CO₂ cements
• admixtures
• cement alternatives