Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have harnessed two of the world’s most ubiquitous materials, concrete and carbon black, to develop a novel energy storage system. The technology could play a pivotal role in accelerating the energy transition by offering a low-cost, scalable, and readily available solution to address the intermittent nature of renewables.
“Concrete and carbon black are materials that humans are very familiar with and have known how to process for millennia,” says Admir Masic, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. “With these two materials, we end up with an extremely sophisticated nano-composite that can solve future bottlenecks associated with our transition from non-renewable to renewable energy sources.”
▲ Here, a polychromatic scanning electron microscope image of the cement composite material is shown, highlighting the material’s small-scale variability in surface topography and rapid charging capabilities. Image courtesy of PNAS.
Researchers envision that the composite material could be incorporated into everyday construction projects, turning ordinary cement into a renewable electricity-conducting material with almost no additional costs. For example, they imagine roads capable of...
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