Portland cement (PC) is a material that is indispensable for satisfying recent urban requirements, which demands infrastructure with adequate mechanical and durable properties. In this context, building construction has employed nanomaterials (e.g., oxide metals, carbon, and industrial/agro-industrial waste) as partial replacements for PC to obtain construction materials with better performance than those manufactured using only PC. Therefore, in this study, the properties of fresh and hardened states of nanomaterial-reinforced PC-based materials are reviewed and analyzed in detail. The partial replacement of PC by nanomaterials increases their mechanical properties at early ages and significantly improves their durability against several adverse agents and conditions. Owing to the advantages of nanomaterials as a partial replacement for PC, studies on the mechanical and durability properties for a long-term period are highly necessary.

Bipolar plates (BPs) are one of the most important components of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) because of their important role in gas and water management, electrical performance, and mechanical stability. Therefore, promising materials for use as BPs should meet several technical targets established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Thus far, in the literature, many materials have been reported for possible applications in BPs. Of these, polymer composites reinforced with carbon allotropes are one of the most prominent. Therefore, in this review article, we present the progress and critical analysis on the use of carbon material-reinforced polymer composites as BPs materials in PEMFCs. Based on this review, it is observed that numerous polymer composites reinforced with carbon allotropes have been produced in the literature, and most of the composites synthesized and characterized for their possible application in BPs meet the DOE requirements. However, these composites can still be improved before their use for BPs in PEMFCs.

The manufacture of Portland cement (PC) emits a significant amount of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Therefore, the partial replacement of PC by supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) possessing pozzolanic properties is considered a viable strategy to reduce its environmental impact. Recently, waste glass (WG) has been explored as a potential SCM. However, due to the wide variety of glass types and their differing physical and chemical properties, not all WG can be universally considered suitable for this purpose; therefore, this study investigates the use of recycled WG as an SCM for the partial replacement of PC. Two types of WG were evaluated: green waste glass from wide bottles (GWG) and laboratory waste glass (LWG), and their performance was compared to that of fly ash (FA). The physical, mechanical, and pozzolanic properties of the materials were assessed. Results show that both types of WG exhibit particle size distributions comparable to PC and have contents of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and Fe₂O₃ exceeding 70%. Chemical, mineralogical, and pozzolanic analyses revealed that both GWG and LWG presented higher pozzolanic activity than FA, particularly at later ages. Notably, LWG demonstrated the most significant contribution to mechanical strength development. These findings suggest that recycled waste glass, especially LWG, can serve as a viable and sustainable SCM, contributing to the reduction of the environmental footprint associated with Portland cement production.