Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Recent Discoveries in Construction Materials—towards a Sustainable Future

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2022) | Viewed by 9192

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Didier Snoeck

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Building, Architecture & Town planning (BATir), Université libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Interests: self-sealing; self-healing; durability; sustainability; microstructure; cementitious materials; microfibers; superabsorbent polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The building industry is continuously evolving towards a better and brighter future with more sustainable building materials. Durability and sustainability are, therefore, important factors for limiting the environmental impact of construction materials and structures, especially in light of the European Green Deal in Horizon Europe and the Sustainable Development Goals from the UN. Research including that into alternative binder systems, novel construction techniques, innovative admixtures, high-tech nanomaterials, functional fibers, and the recycling of waste materials, amongst others, are aiding in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and increasing the sustainability and circularity of materials. These recent discoveries are the subject of this Special Issue, to build a sustainable future for years to come using all resources as efficiently as possible. The building materials for the future should have long service lives and low life-cycle costs, and be safe, reliable and resilient. The maintenance required during their lifetimes should be as little as possible, in order to limit the production of additional materials used for repair. Another focus will be thermal comfort, increasing energy efficiency, reducing the impact on the surrounding environment and leading to a more comfortable and healthier living space. Recent discoveries in construction materials are leading towards a sustainable future.

Dr. Didier Snoeck
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

novel admixtures
green building materials
durability
sustainability
circularity
nanocomposites
fiber composites
natural materials
phase-change materials
3D printing
self-sealing
self-healing
self-cleaning
self-sensing
mortar
concrete
construction materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

22 pages, 3013 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deformations in Cement Pastes during Capillary Imbibition and Their Relation to Water and Isopropanol as Imbibing Liquids

by Natalia Mariel Alderete, Arn Mignon, Katrin Schollbach and Yury Villagrán-Zaccardi

Materials 2022, 15(1), 36; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15010036 - 21 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2214

Abstract

The traditional approach for evaluating capillary imbibition, which describes the phenomena as a linear relationship between mass gain and the square root of time, considers a rigid pore structure. The common deviation from the linearity when using the square-root law (manifested in a downward curvature, i.e., slower water ingress) can be explained by considering a changing pore structure during the process caused by the swelling of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) during water ingress. Analysing how the combination of deforming phase (C-S-H), non-deforming phase, and porosity affects the capillary water ingress rate is relevant for a deeper understanding of concrete durability. In this research, the C-S-H content was quantified by means of XRD diffraction coupled with Rietveld + PONKCS, dynamic water sorption (DVS), and SEM/BSE images coupled with phase mapping using PhAse Recognition and Characterization (PARC) software. The porosity was assessed by mercury intrusion porosimetry, water absorption under vacuum, and DVS. Furthermore, to assess deformations occurring with water and a non-aqueous imbibant, capillary imbibition tests with water and isopropanol as invading liquids were performed along with simultaneous deformation measurements. The relation between the relative C-S-H content and porosity has a great impact on the transport process. Samples exposed to isopropanol presented a much larger liquid uptake but significantly fewer deformations in comparison to imbibition with water. The effects of the changing pore structure were also evaluated with the Thomas and Jennings model, from which calculations indicated that pore shrink during imbibition. A comprehensive description of the relation between deformations and capillary imbibition in cement pastes reveals that liquid ingress is highly influenced by deformations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Discoveries in Construction Materials—towards a Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 5568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self-Healing Products of Cement Pastes with Supplementary Cementitious Materials, Calcium Sulfoaluminate and Crystalline Admixtures

by Byoungsun Park and Young-Cheol Choi

Materials 2021, 14(23), 7201; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14237201 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1633

Abstract

The phase composition of self-healing products generated in cracks affects self-healing performance. This study investigated the self-healing products of cementitious materials using supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), a calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) expansion agent, and crystalline additives (CAs). Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), fly ash (FA), and silica fume (SF) were used as SCMs, and anhydrite, Na₂SO₄, Na₂CO₃, and MgCO₃ were used as crystalline additives (CAs). An artificial crack method was used to collect the self-healing products in the crack of the paste. The phase composition of the self-healing products was analyzed through X-ray diffraction (XRD)/Rietveld refinements and thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) analysis, and their morphology and ion concentration were examined through scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). From the results, the main compound of self-healing products was found to be calcite. GGBFS and FA decreased the content of portlandite, and the use of CAs led to the formation of alkali sulfate and alkali carbonate. The SEM–EDS analysis results showed that when GGBFS and FA were used, a large proportion of the self-healing products contained C-S-H and C-A-H, and the use of CSA led to the formation of monosulfate and ettringite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Discoveries in Construction Materials—towards a Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 5030 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Key Factors Determining the Self-Healing Ability of Cement-Based Composites with Mineral Additives

by Kamil Tomczak, Jacek Jakubowski and Łukasz Kotwica

Materials 2021, 14(15), 4211; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14154211 - 28 Jul 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2079

Abstract

This paper reveals the relationships between key factors that determine the ability of cementitious composites to self-heal autogenously and specific measures for quantifying the effects of this process. The following material factors: water-to-binder ratio (w/b), uniaxial compressive strength and age of the composite at the time of defect formation were considered, as well as the method and degree of damage to the tested material. The subjects of this study were mortars and concretes in which Portland cement was partially replaced, to varying degrees, with mechanically activated fluidized bed combustion fly ash (MAFBC fly ash) and siliceous fly ash. The samples were subjected to three-point bending or cyclic compression tests after 14 or 28 days of aging, in order to induce defects and then cured in water for 122 days. Microscopic (MO) and high-resolution scanning (HRS) observations along with computer image processing techniques were used to visualize and quantify the changes occurring in the macro-crack region near the outer surface of the material during the self-sealing process. Techniques based on the measurement of the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) allowed the quantification of the changes occurring inside the damaged materials. Mechanical testing of the composites allowed quantification of the effects of the activity of the binder-supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) systems. The analysis of the results indicates a significant influence of the initial crack width on the ability to completely close the cracks; however, there are repeated deviations from this rule and local variability of the self-sealing process. It has been shown that the compressive strength of a material is an important indicator of binder activity concerning crack width reduction due to self-sealing. Regardless of the crack induction method, the internal material changes caused by self-sealing are dependent on the degree of material damage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Discoveries in Construction Materials—towards a Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 12051 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Effect of the Mechanical Load on the Carbonation of Concrete: A Review of the Underlying Mechanisms, Test Methods, and Results

by Zhiyuan Liu, Philip Van den Heede and Nele De Belie

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4407; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14164407 - 06 Aug 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2305

Abstract

As one of the major causes of concrete deterioration, the carbonation of concrete has been widely investigated over recent decades. In recent years, the effect of mechanical load on carbonation has started to attract more attention. The load-induced variations in crack pattern and pore structure have a significant influence on CO₂ transport which determines the carbonation rate. With different types of load, the number, orientation, and position of the induced cracks can be different, which will lead to different carbonation patterns. In this review paper, the carbonation in cracked and stress-damaged concrete is discussed first. Then, literature about the effect of sustained load during carbonation is compared in terms of load type and load level. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of possible test methods for investigating the effect of sustained load on carbonation are discussed with respect to loading devices, load compensation, and specimen size. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Discoveries in Construction Materials—towards a Sustainable Future)

► Show Figures