Bituminous materials are viscoelastic composites mainly used for road and airport pavement construction. These materials include asphalt mixtures, mastics and bituminous binders. Civil engineers and material scientists seek to understand the properties of these materials at different length scales and their technological applications to improve pavements.

Due to traffic loads and environmental conditions, bituminous pavements suffer damage over time. To extend their service life and contribute to the development of more sustainable pavements, novel bituminous materials have been developed over the past years, turning this topic into an emerging field of study. Current research in the area evaluates the characterization and modelling of bituminous materials, multiphase behavior of bituminous materials, asphalt mixtures modified with phase change materials, self-healing of asphalt pavements, and valorization of waste and secondary materials for road pavements.

This special issue encourages the submission of original research articles that, through testing, characterization and/or numerical modelling seek to advance the development and understanding of bituminous materials, particularly of new materials that contribute to the development of more sustainable pavements. Articles that include experimental studies and modeling techniques as well as review articles that explore and assess the various aspects of the properties of bituminous materials are highly welcomed.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Multiscale characterization and/or numerical modelling of bituminous materials
• Multiphase behavior of cold and warm bituminous materials
• Energy harvesting and snow melting applications in asphalt pavements
• Intrinsic and extrinsic self-healing of asphalt pavement materials
• Asphalt mixtures modified with nanoparticles and phase change materials
• Recycling and valorization of waste materials for asphalt pavements
• Innovations in sustainable bituminous material development and production