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MIT academics have enhanced a novel kind of “concrete battery” by a factor of ten, clearing the way for its employment in transforming edifices, overpasses, and sidewalks into vast power repositories with the potential to energize entire metropolises.
The substance is known as electron-conducting carbon concrete — or ec³ — and it’s produced by uniting cement, water, a typical liquid electrolyte, and an exceptionally fine carbon powder referred to as nanoscale carbon black.
Upon being combined, the constituents form a solid, conductive matrix adept at channeling an electrical load. When solidified into concrete, the material and all that is constructed from it (be it structures, bridges, or pavements) gains the ability to accumulate and discharge power when necessary.
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It’s a notion recognized as supercapacitive power accumulation, and investigators anticipate it might present a practical remedy to one of green energy’s paramount obstacles: specifically, how to accumulate electricity locally during times when the sun isn’t radiating or the wind isn’t gusting.
In a recent piece of research released on Sept. 29 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers stated they had accomplished a tenfold escalation in the power accumulation ability of ec³ since 2023. Five cubic meters (176.5 cubic feet) of the substance is now capable of amassing more than 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity — approximately adequate to supply energy to a common residence for an entire day.
Just a pair of years prior, attaining that degree of accumulation would have necessitated ninefold the amount, the team conveyed.
“Given these heightened power intensities and displayed worth across a broader array of applications, we now possess a potent and adaptable instrument that can assist us in tackling a spectrum of enduring power predicaments,” stated Damian Stefaniuk, the main writer of the study and a research academic at MIT, in a pronouncement.
“A primary impetus for us was to facilitate the green energy shift. Solar power, as an illustration, has advanced substantially in relation to efficiency. Nonetheless, it’s only able to yield power whenever there’s ample sun. Therefore, the question emerges: How can you satisfy your energy requirements at night, or when the days are overcast?”
Building batteries
While ec³ doesn’t quite equal the power density of conventional battery technologies such as lithium-ion (which stow away hundreds of times more power into the identical mass or volume), the reality that it can be molded precisely into building parts and might endure for the duration of the edifice itself, without needing rare or noxious materials, renders it exceptionally appealing to researchers.
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The current augmentation in output stemmed from a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay transpiring between the carbon framework inside the concrete and the electrolyte, as well as alterations to the production of the substance.
As opposed to saturating hunks of the substance in the electrolyte subsequent to its solidification, the researchers incorporated the electrolyte directly into the water employed during the initial admixture. That sanctioned the genesis of thicker, more power-dense hunks without jeopardizing conductivity.
The crew additionally trialed diverse electrolyte variants, encompassing seawater, and pinpointed a handful of feasible alternatives. The preeminent outcomes originated from an amalgamation of quaternary ammonium salts — utilized in domestic disinfectants — and acetonitrile, a conductive dissolvent prevalent in industrial undertakings.
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The most captivating realization for the researchers was that just slight modifications to the concrete manufacturing process were needed to yield ec³. This plausibly unlocks substantial prospects in sustainable construction, wherein the material could be leveraged to cultivate what the investigators have termed “multifunctional concrete” capable of storing power, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and possessing self-repair capabilities.
The material has undergone preliminary testing in Japan for the purpose of heating footpaths under snowy circumstances, presenting a viable substitute to road salt. The team is currently progressing toward tangible implementations, ranging from residences that operate autonomously to parking spaces and routes capable of replenishing electric vehicles sometime in the future.
“What enthuses us the most is that we’ve taken a material as timeless as concrete and demonstrated its capacity to achieve something completely novel,” commented study co-author James Weaver, an associate professor specializing in materials science and engineering at Cornell University, within the declaration.
“By uniting contemporary nanoscience with an age-old cornerstone of civilization, we’re inaugurating an avenue toward infrastructure that transcends merely sustaining our existence, but actually powers it.”
Owen Hughes
Owen Hughes is a freelance journalist and editor specializing in data and digital technologies. Previously a senior editor at ZDNET, Owen has been writing about tech for more than a decade, during which time he has covered everything from AI, cybersecurity and supercomputers to programming languages and public sector IT. Owen is particularly interested in the intersection of technology, life and work – in his previous roles at ZDNET and TechRepublic, he wrote extensively about business leadership, digital transformation and the evolving dynamics of remote work.
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