Design and experiment of self-luminescent asphalt-based pavement materials

•A SLAM was prepared using TA, ALS, LM, and mineral fillers.•TA had high light transmittance and low temperature crack resistance.•The brightness of SLAM at 8 h was visible to the human eye.•The use of TA and ALS improved the solar reflectance of pavement materials.•An increase in the ALS content reduced the road performance of the SLAM. In the present study, a self-luminescent asphalt mixture (SLAM) was prepared using homemade, modified transparent asphalt (TA), artificial luminescent stone (ALS), limestone aggregates (LM), and mineral fillers. The properties of raw materials were characterized using the physical, optical, mechanical, XRD, XRF, SEM, FTIR, and DSC tests. Luminescence, solar reflectance, and road performance of the SLAM with different ALS contents were evaluated through laboratory tests. The results indicated that the indicators of the TA met the road requirements, and the transmittance of TA with a thickness of 4 mm at the emission peak position of ALS reached 71.9%. The adhesion between ALS and TA was worse than that between LM and TA. The luminescence and solar reflectance of SLAM improved with an increase in the ALS content; however, water stability, anti-rutting, low-temperature crack resistance, and skid-resistance were low (the maximum ALS content was 30%). The brightness of SLAM at 8 h was visible to the human eye. The application of SLAM in pavement can contribute to the promotion of the self-illuminating pavement technology.