Topic: (Ultra)High-Performance and Multifunctional/Smart Concrete Materials and Structures for Empowering Critical Infrastructure Resilience

Compared to other engineering materials, concrete has low resource and energy consumption during production, few harmful by-products, and low environmental footprint. Additionally, due to its excellent compressive strength, fatigue resistance, water resistance, and fire resistance, infrastructure built with concrete is highly safe, durable, and requires minimal maintenance. Therefore, concrete remains the most widely used engineering material and will continue to be indispensable in the future. However, concrete is brittle and prone to cracking, has significant performance variability, and its application scope is continuously expanding. At the same time, as critical infrastructure is increasing in scale, they encounter a coupling of multiple factors within harsher service conditions, which have been expanding into extreme climates and even extraterrestrial conditions. Simultaneously, there is a growing necessity for improved coordination between construction and environment (e.g., avoiding excessive use of resource and energy, reducing environmental pollution), and the improving requirement of human living quality. Thus, the resilience of concrete infrastructure faces significant challenges. (Ultra) high-performance and multifunctional/smart concrete materials and structures can effectively enhance the safety, lifespan, and operational efficiency of infrastructure, providing an effective way to address these challenges. This Special Issue aims to cover the latest advances related to (ultra) high-performance and multifunctional/smart concrete materials and structures for improving the resilience of critical concrete infrastructure. Potential topics for submissions include but are not limited to: 

1. (Ultra) high-strength/toughness concrete materials and structures;

2. (Ultra) high-durability concrete materials and structures;

3. Impact/explosion/penetration-resistant concrete materials and structures;

4. Rapid repair/strengthening concrete materials;

5. Self-sensing concrete materials and structures;

6. Self-healing concrete materials and structures;

7. Bio-corrosion-resistant concrete materials for sewage system/marine structures;

8. Low-temperature-resistant concrete materials and structures (e.g., concrete structures for liquefied gas storage tanks);

9. Fire-resistant/high-temperature-spalling-resistant concrete materials and structures;

10. Concrete materials and structures for extremely dry environments;

11. (Ultra) high-performance marine concrete and FRP-reinforced concrete structures;

12. Corrosion-resistant concrete and structures for aggressive environments (such as saline soil, acids, alkalis, etc.);

13. High-toughness/high-temperature and pressure-resistant/corrosion-resistant well cement materials and structures;

14. Electrically heated snow-melting, ice-melting concrete and its applications in pavements/bridges/runways.