Geopolymers: a new and smart way for a sustainable development

The aim of the Special Issue "Geopolymers: a new and smart way for a sustainable development" is to present an updated "state-ofthe-art" collection of original papers ranging from the base science to application-driven researches. Since geopolymers mimic clay minerals in terms of final structure and properties, the special issue contains not only papers on clay-based geopolymers, but also on materials produced from recycled aluminosilicates, assessing that: "Geopolymers are the logical consequence of the green chemistry, which operates for a sustainable development". The first part of the Issue is dedicated to basic studies of metakaolin-based model systems with the aim to define their micro- and nano-structures. Passing through the study of the processing of raw materials or the geopolymer consolidation stage, readers are accompanied to the evaluation of the properties; this latter part of the Issue appears particularly appealing because it is application-driven. Finally, several formulations of geopolymers deriving from industrial wastes are presented