Innovation in cement and concrete technology: materials, methods and applications

Global cement production is the third largest source of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Nevertheless, although its production is highly energy consuming and it has a severe impact on the environment, cement is an essential product in our society. Therefore, there is a growing interest in finding sustainable solutions to replace the use of cement, especially in order to reduce its carbon footprint. Answering to the current crucial demand for high-performance building materials, recent research works have explored the possibility of improving the mechanical properties and the durability of cement-based composites via the addition of natural and synthetic micro- and nano-particles and via the self-healing methods. Some of the emerging green alternatives rely on technological advances that include energy-efficiency and low carbon production methods, new cement formulations and manufactured nanomaterials which improve vital characteristics of construction materials such as strength, durability and lightness. This Special Issue aims at publishing research novelty regarding materials, methods and applications in cement and concrete technology, in order to provide a platform for knowledge exchange between scientists and field experts. The main goal is to promote innovation in the cement and concrete sector with the important aim of improving sustainability and lowering the CO2 footprint. This Special Issue aims at publishing a few papers based on presentations done at ESIS TC09-Concrete and enriched with new original results. We would like to thank the authors for their important contribution and the reviewers for their patient and accurate work, fundamental for adding value to the papers. We hope that the readers will appreciate this Special Issue. Our warmest thank you to prof. Luca Susmel, Editor in Chief of Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, who agreed and supported this Special Issue.