Advanced Materials and Digital Technologies for Low-Carbon and High-Performance Concrete

This Special Issue explores low-carbon concrete materials and AI-driven digital technologies for sustainable, high-performance, and resilient next-generation infrastructure systems.

Submit your paper here from 1 January 2026

Introduction

Concrete is the backbone of modern infrastructure, yet its production, particularly Portland cement manufacturing accounts for nearly 8% of global CO₂ emissions. With growing urbanization, population expansion, and climate commitments such as Net-Zero 2050, the construction industry faces unprecedented pressure to transition toward low-carbon, resource-efficient, and high-performance construction solutions. This transition demands not only the development of advanced materials, but also the integration of digital technologies to enable smarter, cleaner, and more resilient infrastructure systems. In recent years, significant progress has been made in advanced low-carbon concrete materials, including LC3 systems, geopolymers, alkali-activated binders, supplementary cementitious materials, nano-engineered binders, and waste-derived construction materials. These innovations offer viable pathways for reducing embodied carbon while simultaneously improving mechanical strength, durability, fire resistance, and multi-functional performance. However, material innovation alone is insufficient to meet the efficiency, precision, and sustainability demands of next-generation infrastructure.

At the same time, the rapid evolution of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, digital twins, smart sensing, automation, and data-driven modelling is transforming the way concrete is designed, produced, monitored, and maintained. Digital tools now enable AI-assisted mix design, predictive durability modelling, automated quality control, 3D concrete printing, real-time structural health monitoring, and life-cycle performance optimization. The convergence of advanced materials with digital intelligence marks a paradigm shift toward smart, low-carbon, and high-performance concrete systems. Despite these parallel advancements, a critical research gap remains in fully integrating advanced sustainable materials with digital technologies in a unified, performance-driven framework. There is an urgent need for interdisciplinary research that links material science, digital fabrication, artificial intelligence, lifecycle assessment, and infrastructure monitoring to maximize both environmental and structural performance. This Special Issue directly responds to this global challenge by providing a focused platform for advanced materials and digital technologies to jointly enable low-carbon and high-performance concrete for future infrastructure.

List of topic areas

• Low-carbon and eco-efficient concrete (LC3, geopolymers, AAMs, SCM-based systems)
• AI and machine learning for mix design, optimization, and performance prediction 3D concrete printing and automated digital fabrication
• High-performance cementitious composites and advanced admixtures
• Durability modelling, service life prediction, and degradation mechanisms
• Digital twins and smart monitoring of concrete structures
• Embodied carbon assessment and life-cycle sustainability of concrete
• Waste-derived materials and circular economy in construction
• Fire resistance and extreme performance of digital concrete
• Smart sensing, real-time monitoring, and data-driven infrastructure management

Submissions Information

You can submit your full paper here: https://ice-review.rivervalley.io/journal/jmacr. Once you have registered, navigate to the journal that you wish to submit to. Choose article type "Themed Issue" and then the specific name from the drop-down menu on screen.

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Author guidelines

Key deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 01/01/2026
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 31/08/2026