Sustainable Composites, Construction, and Artificial Intelligence Optimization

Dear Colleagues,

Global environmental awareness and concern have sparked the creation of sustainable composites that are resource efficient and made from renewable sources. There has recently been considerable interest in creating materials that can replace synthetic materials, whose products typically cause environmental damage. As a result, there has been a growth in demand for biodegradable polymers or green composites made of natural fibers in many industrial sectors in recent years. Biopolymers and natural fibers are sustainable materials that are readily available in nature and have the advantages of low cost, light weight, renewability, biodegradability, and high specific properties. Thus, green composites are highly desirable as next-generation sustainable materials that are biodegradable and environmentally beneficial. The sustainability of these new composites has increased their use in a variety of manufacturing industries, such as automotive interior linings (roof, rear wall, and side panel linings), furniture, construction and buildings, packaging, and shipping pallets, among others. In contrast with traditional composites, green composite materials promote sustainability by including a variety of natural fibers and biopolymers, resins, and oils. However, the hydrophilic character of natural fibers has an impact on the interfacial interaction between the fibers and the polymer matrix. Therefore, one method to improve the interaction between the fibers and polymer matrix is to chemically modify the natural fibers appropriately. Some drawbacks of biodegradable materials include poor gas and water barrier properties, poor toughness, low glass transition temperatures, and their hydrophilic nature, which limit their use in commercial applications. This is avoided by combining biopolymers with a variety of natural fibers to enhance the material’s thermal, water barrier, mechanical, antibacterial, and degradability qualities. Additionally, adding natural fibers lowers the price of biopolymer products while also assisting in creating high-quality, competitively priced goods that are widely used in various industries.

Research involving the use of waste materials, eco-friendly materials, natural fibers, microscopy and microstructure, 3D concrete printing, structural health monitoring (SHM), artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced digital twin technology must be directed toward their eventual field application due to the constantly increasing demand for sustainable construction materials. Thus, this Special Issue aims to provide a collection of articles pertaining to the valorization of material sustainability around the world into value-added sustainable construction products. We welcome case studies and research findings leading to the application of concrete materials' sustainability in construction products. 

In recent years, the demand for supplementary cementitious materials has increased. Along with this concern, researchers’ attention to optimizing their design, manufacture, and use in construction is also growing. In addition to traditional numerical methods, advanced tools, including artificial intelligence, are increasingly being considered in engineering. Artificial intelligence is known for including powerful techniques and is now being used more frequently by civil engineers to solve a wide range of real problems related to cementitious materials and other real-world problems. It is now utilized to predict the mechanical properties of cement materials without additional equipment, materials, and labor costs. How can we optimize concrete’s composition by incorporating artificial intelligence and what level of accuracy in prediction would be expected? All of these advanced techniques are being protected by cyber security through the integration of blockchain and information security network systems to make them safer for real-field applications.

The primary aim of this Special Issue is to provide insights and a platform for researchers and industry experts to present their findings, case studies, short communications, and innovative solutions related to sustainable and durable construction materials and other engineering fields. By highlighting the life cycle assessment of these materials, we can include the environmental impacts, economic viability, and social aspects associated with their production, usage, and disposal. Considering the above, this Special Issue brings together the recent research, applications, and experiences of researchers in artificial intelligence for solving scientific problems in cementitious materials used in civil engineering and other engineering fields. Special focus will be placed on real-world applications.

This Special Issue also aims to present new concepts and approaches for creating environmentally friendly and widely applicable sustainable composite materials. Additionally, we hope to receive unique and cutting-edge papers highlighting the most difficult aspects of sustainable composite production, such as biodegradable composites, green composites, and nano-composites. Tailored green composite materials will be highlighted in this Special Issue for their unique uses in sustainable development. We also encourage authors to provide nano-technological approaches related to creating and using sustainable composite materials.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The preparation and properties of sustainable composites;
• Recent advances in green composites;
• The physical, morphological, and thermal properties of composites;
• Natural-fiber-based polymer composites for sustainable development;
• Novel composite fabrication technology;
• Biodegradable polymer composites and analysis of their properties;
• Chemical modifications of natural-fiber-reinforced green composites;
• The blending of polymers and biopolymers;
• Sustainable composites for industrial applications;
• Hybrid polymer composites;
• Polymer-based concrete composites and their properties;
• Nano-reinforcement polymer composites;
• The recycling of polymers and composites;
• Nanoparticles and nanocomposites;
• Chitosan- and poly-lactic acid (PLA)-based composites;
• Graphene-oxide-based concrete and composites;
• The application of life cycle assessment (LCA) for fiber-reinforced concrete composites;
• The strength and ductility of structural responses in RC structures;
• Green building technology for sustainable construction practices;

• Multi-functional materials for energy-efficient buildings;

• Sustainable concrete production from waste materials;
• Natural fiber-reinforced concrete and polymer-modified concrete;
• Artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the properties of cementitious material-based concrete;
• Concrete sustainability, durability, and non-destructive testing;
• The utilization, treatment, and upcycling of various recycled materials for green concrete production;
• The reuse of bio-waste and the construction or industrial wastes;
• Advanced or functional concrete material;
• Sustainable and eco-friendly high- and ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete;
• The microscopy and microstructure of sustainable construction materials;
• Decarbonized concrete and its properties;
• Material sustainability in eco-friendly pavement construction;
• The application of sustainable materials in 3D concrete printing;
• The microstructure of sustainable 3D-printed concrete;
• The rheology of sustainable concretes;
• The microstructure of sustainable pavement materials;
• Sustainable techniques in additive manufacturing and automation in construction;
• Digital construction management for a sustainable approach;
• Building information modelling (BIM);
• Construction and sustainable project management;
• Building sustainability, off-site construction, and construction waste optimization;
• AI methods for structural health monitoring (SHM) optimization;
• Advanced sensor implementation and applications;
• Digital twins and cyber–physical systems in construction;
• Robotics and drones' path and operation control in construction;
• Transportation and city planning for sustainable development;
• Green finance and digital payment and finance;
• Behavioral finance for sustainability;
• Financial inclusion and SDGs;
• Sustainable industrial engineering and manufacturing;
• IoT application in sustainable engineering;
• Sustainable cybersecurity protocols in engineering application;
• Blockchain and information security for network systems;
• AI in health applications and HCI.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Md. Saiful Islam
Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman Sobuz
Guest Editors

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