Pavement engineering is entering a new era of innovation with the integration of functional materials designed to address challenges such as durability, environmental responsiveness, and self-maintenance. Traditional paving materials, while reliable, often struggle under the increasing demands of climate variability, mechanical loading, and sustainability requirements. Functional materials—such as phase change materials (PCMs), self-healing binders, and nanomaterials—offer the potential to enhance the performance and longevity of pavements through smart, adaptive behavior and energy efficiency. These innovations align with global goals for low-carbon infrastructure, long-term durability, and environmental resilience.
This Research Topic aims to address current challenges in pavement material design by exploring how functional materials can be developed, characterized, and integrated into pavement systems across multiple scales. The goal is to promote a comprehensive understanding of material behavior from the nano- to structural scale, enabling improved temperature regulation, damage recovery, moisture resistance, and sustainability. We invite research that advances material formulations (e.g., composite PCMs, self-healing polymers, multifunctional additives), investigates their mechanisms of action through experimental and modeling approaches, or explores their practical applications in real-world pavement scenarios. Recent advances in material science, smart infrastructure, and green construction technologies offer a timely opportunity to consolidate cutting-edge knowledge in this domain.
This Research Topic welcomes original research, reviews at focus on the development, evaluation, and application of functional materials in pavement engineering. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Design and characterization of phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal regulation in pavements
• Self-healing materials and mechanisms in asphalt or concrete systems
• Nano- and micro-scale additives for improved mechanical and environmental performance
• Multiscale modeling and simulation of functional material behavior
• Experimental studies on the durability, aging resistance, or energy storage properties of functional pavements
• Integration of smart materials with sensing, monitoring, or adaptive control technologies
• Eco-friendly and low-carbon materials tailored for climate-resilient road infrastructure
• Field applications and performance evaluations of functional material-enhanced pavements
• Life-cycle analysis, environmental impact, and sustainability assessments
We particularly encourage interdisciplinary submissions that bridge materials science, civil engineering, environmental engineering, and transportation infrastructure design.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
- Editorial
- FAIR² Data
- Mini Review
- Original Research
- Perspective
- Review
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Keywords: Transportation infrastructure, Composites materials, Smart materials and structures, Functional pavement materials, Intelligent pavement materials, Performance characterization, Thermal storage materials
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
