Sustainable Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composites (Sus-SHCC)

Dear Colleagues,

Strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC) reinforced by randomly distributed short fibers has attracted worldwide attention. Extensive research on SHCC has been conducted in the last three decades. SHCC is characterized with strain-hardening and multiple-cracking behaviors under uniaxial tension through tailoring the properties of fiber, matrix, and fiber/matrix interface. SHCC overcomes the inherent brittleness of ordinary concrete & mortar. SHCC has been successfully applied in structures and holds the potential to build self-reinforced structures either by cast or 3D-printing technology due to the combination of high tensile strength and high ductility.

Despite the increasing amount of research thus far on SHCC, the sustainability of SHCC needs improving and further innovative exploration. The amount of cement in SHCC is significantly higher than that of conventional concrete due to absence of coarse aggregate and lower sand/binder ratio, resulting in a low sustainability. Further, a high amount of cement dosage not only increases the total cost of SHCC but also induces higher hydration heat and lager shrinkage, which may impose negative effect on the mechanical properties of SHCC.

The goal of this Special Issue is to provide a platform to report the up-to-date development of sustainable SHCC (Sus-SHCC), which includes the design theory, the effects of different supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs), the rheological properties of matrix and its influence on fiber dispersion, the fiber and matrix interaction, the mechanical properties and constitutive models, the size effect, the shrinkage property, the alternative green binder materials such as geopolymer, the durability and long-term tensile properties, the self-X performances (self-healing, self-sensing, self-cleaning, etc.), and the simulation of cracking propagation.

Researchers in the field of SHCC are encouraged to submit their work in the form of original research, review, mini-review, or perspective in this Research Topic on themes including, but not limited to:

• Design of sustainable SHCC (Sus-SHCC) with different SCMs;
• Design of Sus-SHCC with low energy-embodied fibers like polypropylene fiber;
• Design of Sus-SHCC using alternative binders, such as LC3 and geopolymer cement;
• Rheological properties of SHCC matrix and its influence on fiber dispersion;
• Static and dynamic mechanical properties of Sus-SHCC;
• Shrinkage property of Sus-SHCC;
• Durability and long-term tensile properties of Sus-SHCC;
• Self-X performances (self-healing, self-sensing, self-cleaning, etc.);
• Bond behaviors between steel/FRP bar and Sus-SHCC;
• Structural applications in the repair and retrofitting areas and newly-constructed infrastructural fields;
• 3D printing application of self-reinforced Sus-SHCC.

Dr. Kequan Yu
Prof. Dr. Shuguang Liu
Prof. Dr. Guangcheng Long
Dr. Wenjun Zhu
Dr. Lili Kan
Dr. Yao Ding
Dr. Yan Xiong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Sustainability 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 2400 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.

• sustainable SHCC
• alternative binder
• rheological property
• mechanical property
• shrinkage property
• durability
• self-X performance
• bond behavior
• structural application
• 3D printing