Recent incidents of catastrophic failures of aging infrastructure in the United States, Italy, and other parts of the world are unfortunate examples of what is to come at an increasing rate in the next decade(s). At the same time, our society is being challenged by global warming combined with extreme events, including flooding, wildfires, earthquakes and hurricanes. Therefore, the two main challenges for civil engineers and material scientists are to understand the deterioration of existing infrastructure and develop new and high-performance materials that have multifunctionality, self-sensing capabilities and that are not only more durable but also strong, lightweight and eco-friendlier. There has been some research in these areas, particularly related to the development of fiber-reinforced polymers, shape-memory alloys, self-sensing cement composites, fiber-reinforced cementitious materials, and green concretes. However, further advances are needed, particularly in areas that are cross-cutting and address multiple issues. Therefore, this Special Issue calls for papers in (but not limited to) the following areas: Aging-induced deterioration; Green concretes and alternative cement binders; Shape memory and superelastic alloys; Fiber-reinforced polymers; Fiber-reinforced concrete; High strength and ultra-high strength concretes; Phase change materials; Energy storage through construction materials; Environmental impact studies of new construction materials.
Keywords: infrastructure materials aging; high-performance materials; fiber-reinforced concrete; shape-memory alloys; fiber-reinforced polymers; ultra-high strength concrete; green concretes; corrosion; alkali-aggregate reactivity.