Characterization and Design of Cement and Concrete Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Cement and concrete stand out as the predominant materials in construction, surpassing the combined usage of all other construction materials. Their inherent properties wield significant influence over building performance, making the characterization and enhancement of these materials imperative in light of increasingly stringent service and environmental standards. The initial step toward a comprehensive understanding of concrete involves meticulous characterization. This entails the focal point being micro or macro experiments, along with model methods. Taking the process a step further, there exists a critical need to scientifically and efficiently design cement-based materials informed by these characterizations. Simultaneously, emphasis is placed on identifying hydration products, composites and carbon neutrality inherent in various cementitious materials, a pursuit actively encouraged through the thorough process of characterization and subsequent design. The seamless flow from material characterization to design encapsulates the ultimate objective: achieving the optimal performance and sustainability of cement and concrete in the realm of construction.

The word cement is interpreted in a wide sense, including not only Portland-based materials but, also blended cement and other binding materials.

In doing so, this Special Issue will focus on reporting the interesting results of research on the properties and performance of cement and concrete materials. This issue of cement is interpreted including not only Portland-based materials, but also blended cement and other binding materials. Contributions are expected to cover the topics listed below, but more topics can be included if they fit the field:

• Comments and deep thinking on the significance of cement characterization and design (invited only);
• Development of new characterization methods;
• Revealing the relationship between characterization and design;
• Characterization by modeling;
• Advanced techniques for cement characterization;
• Cutting-edge cement-based material design;
• The chemical reaction of hydration, pozzolanic, alkali-activated process or any other process in cement (or concrete) generation.

Dr. Muhan Wang
Dr. Zhipeng Li
Dr. Yu Zhang
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. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

• concrete
• cement
• characterization
• hydration
• material design
• modeling