Novel Cementitious Materials

Carbon neutrality and peak carbon dioxide emissions are hot topics to ensure the Earth's sustainable development. Cementitious materials are the most commonly used artificial engineering materials worldwide. The production of Portland cement contributes a considerable portion of carbon dioxide emissions. Some novel composite cementitious materials containing various kinds of solid waste were developed to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete. For instance, novel cements with low carbon dioxide emissions were studied and began to be used in different industries, such as UHPC, ECC, geopolymers, some non-Portland cements, etc. They displayed many interesting performances that satisfied the increasing requirement for infrastructure with mechanical and durable properties, with a heavy load in severe built environments. Their hydration mechanism and properties are not the same as those of typical Portland cement. The relationship of their composition, microstructure, and properties has been comprehensively investigated in recent decades. This Reprint includes articles focused on recent developments related to the preparation and microstructural characteristics of novel cementitious materials, as well as their properties and applications in different fields. We hope that this Reprint will be very useful for readers to more deeply understand novel cementitious materials.