Buildings That Store Electricity in Their Concrete: New Technology from Chinese Researchers

In the not-too-distant future, emergency lights, fire alarm systems, sensors and other building equipment could draw their power from the construction materials of the building itself, instead of fuel generators or large batteries. Scientists, to t…

In the not-too-distant future, emergency lights, fire alarm systems, sensors, and other equipment in buildings will be able to provide their energy from building materials instead of fuel generators or large batteries.

To realize this idea, scientists have developed an experimental cement-based supercapacitor that has the ability to store electrical energy. Batteries store energy through chemical reactions, while supercapacitors use an electrostatic mechanism to store energy.

In practical terms, batteries have a much higher energy density and can hold their charge for a longer period of time; But supercapacitors charge and discharge at a much higher rate. This feature is very important for applications that require fast and powerful energy supply.

Another advantage of supercapacitors is the ability to withstand a much higher number of charge and discharge cycles compared to conventional batteries. Considering these features, a group of researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology and Chinese Academy of Sciences decided to design a cement-based supercapacitor.

Construction of cement supercapacitor with 3D printing

Inspired by research conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), researchers combined carbon nanotubes, carbon black, and cement to create a conductive ink suitable for electrode printing. Then they printed this composition on a small piece of concrete using a 3D printer. The electrodes were placed together in a pattern similar to interlocking fingers.

After the printed ink reacts with water and the hydration process is done, its pores are filled with water. This situation enabled the easy movement of charged ions between the printed electrodes and led to electrical energy storage.

The researchers printed three supercapacitors on a piece of concrete and connected them to each other. This set was able to light a small set of LED lights. The device performed well in relatively moderate temperatures, but it stopped working when the temperature dropped to about minus 18 degrees Celsius. For this reason, future research will focus on improving the performance of this technology in cold weather.

The tests also showed that the cement used in this structure has the same performance as the commercial concrete used in the construction of parts such as slabs and stairs in terms of compressive strength. Because supercapacitors cannot store stored energy for long periods of time, the researchers suggest connecting these materials to solar panels or other renewable energy sources. In such a situation, the energy will be continuously transferred to the supercapacitor to maintain its charge and make the desired energy available when needed.

Jing Zhong, a professor at Harbin Institute of Technology and lead author of the study, said about the prospect of this technology:

If building materials, in addition to supporting structures, have the ability to store energy, recognize the surrounding environment and even interact with humans, buildings will no longer be passive shelters, but can become truly intelligent environments.

The article related to this research has just been published in the scientific journal ACS Nano. This technology is still in the experimental stage, but the initial results show that in the future, building materials can be used to store energy and provide electricity for some equipment needed in buildings.