MIT Engineers Build An Energy-Storing Supercapacitor From Ancient Materials

Highlights
- MIT engineers have developed a new energy storage system using cement and carbon black.
- Combining the conductive carbon black into cement, offers an extremely high internal surface area, providing efficient energy storage capabilities.
- It has a potential to power isolated homes or buildings, and roadways far from the grid using solar panels connected to the cement supercapacitors.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a discovery, creating a new energy storage system from two oldest materials: cement and carbon black. This supercapacitor, combined with water, has the potential to revolutionize renewable energy storage for sources like solar, wind, and tidal power.
Also Read: Fisker Unveils All-New Electric Vehicle Lineup
Capacitors, simple devices with two electrically conductive plates separated by an electrolyte, can store electrical energy efficiently. The MIT researchers leveraged this principle to develop a cement-based material with an internal surface area, achieved by introducing carbon black into the concrete mixture. The resulting nanocomposite has a dense, interconnected network of conductive material, providing an ideal structure for energy storage.
According to the team, the supercapacitor could be incorporated into the concrete foundation of a house, enabling it to store an entire day's worth of energy while adding minimal cost and maintaining structural integrity. Furthermore, they envision using this technology to create concrete roadways that offer contactless recharging for electric vehicles as they travel.
Also Read: Kawasaki Ninja e-1 and Z e-1 Type-Approved In Australia; Ready For Launch

"This technology is extremely promising because cement is ubiquitous," said MIT professor Franz-Josef Ulm. Unlike conventional batteries that rely on materials like lithium (with limited supplies), the cement-based supercapacitors can be produced cost-effectively and at scale.
The team calculated that a 45-cubic-meter block of nanocarbon-black-doped concrete could store about 10 kilowatt-hours of energy, equivalent to the average daily electricity usage of a household. With the ability to charge and discharge rapidly, these supercapacitors outperform traditional batteries.
The team determined the optimal ratios of cement, carbon black, and water through various tests. They processed by creating small supercapacitors, similar in size to button-cell batteries, with a capacity to hold a 1-volt charge. Connecting three of these capacitors illuminated a for larger versions they are starting with ones comparable to a typical 12-volt car battery, and eventually scaling up to a 45-cubic-meter version to demonstrate its ability to store power equivalent to that of a house
Initial applications of this technology may include isolated homes, buildings, or shelters far from grid power, powered by solar panels connected to the cement supercapacitors.
The carbon-cement supercapacitors can also be used to build roadways that could store energy along with solar panels to and transfer the energy to electric vehicles on the road.
Ulm emphasized that the system is highly scalable, with energy-storage capacity directly proportional to the volume of the electrodes. Depending on the application's requirements, the mixture can be adjusted to achieve desired properties.
The researchers plan to further develop and demonstrate the technology with larger versions of the supercapacitors, moving towards practical applications in various energy storage scenarios.
The findings of this groundbreaking research were published in the journal PNAS, authored by MIT professors Franz-Josef Ulm, Admir Masic, and Yang-Shao Horn, alongside other researchers from MIT and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. The work was supported by the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, sponsored by the Concrete Advancement Foundation.
Written by: Ronit Agarwal
Last Updated on August 6, 2023
Great Deals on Used Cars
View All Used Cars
- 41,489 km
- Petrol
- Manual

- 1,18,054 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 22,376 km
- Petrol
- Manual

- 44,300 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 84,000 km
- Petrol
- Automatic

- 77,000 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 47,549 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 85,000 km
- Hybrid
- Automatic

- 70,123 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 49,000 km
- Diesel
- Automatic
Upcoming Cars










Upcoming Bikes










Explore More
Latest News
Related Articles

2 hours ago
The Kia Sonet facelift is slated to be unveiled on December 14. The leaked brochure reveals details about its specifications, features and variants.

3 hours ago
Enyaq 85 SUV offers over 560 kms of range while the coupe variant sees range increased to over 570 km.

3 hours ago
The latest spy shots of the Tata Punch EV reveal the new LED DRL design on the offering, while the all-electric offering is expected to bring comprehensive upgrades.

3 hours ago
This support initiative will run for 10 days from 8 December to 18 December for customers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry affected from the flash floods

3 hours ago
The manufacturer also said that it would hike the prices of its commercial vehicle range

4 hours ago
The motorcycle is powered by a 457 cc parallel-twin engine that churns out 47 bhp of max power

5 hours ago
Tata Motors will extend the vehicle warranty of customers affected by Cyclone Michaung, while the company is taking additional measures to improve accessibility to service their vehicles

7 hours ago
Along with monetary aid, Hyundai Motor India Foundation is also working with the state government to delivery emergency relief and essential commodities

7 hours ago
The carmaker said that rising input costs necessitated the revision in pricing.

1 year ago
MIT has shown this off in a proof of concept experience where a 60-gram model rover which is approximately the size of a person's hand.

6 years ago
However, before you get all excited, the Lamborghini Terzo Millenio is not ready for production yet, there's a long way to go and the concept just paves the way for the future generation of supercars from the carmaker.

7 years ago
The future holds a lot of promise when it comes to technology in cars and while we've seen a lot of research done in the field of flying cars and even autonomous cars, there's something new developing every passing year. There's some more coming our way and this time it is the Massachusetts Institute of Technolgy's Senseable Lab which has come out with something innovative.

8 years ago
Toyota will be investing $50 million over to the next five years to set up joint research centers at Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for developing 'intelligent' self-driving cars.
