DTN 145: Concrete Batteries

"I like sectors that are real—construction, energy, quantum computing. I want the tough stuff, the things that actually matter to how society functions. I'm not interested in another social media app. I want to back things we cannot let fail."

“Concrete already builds our world, and an MIT-invented variant known as electron-­conducting carbon concrete (ec³ , pronounced “e c cubed”) holds out the possibility of helping power it, too. Now that vision is one step closer. 

Made by combining cement, water, ultra-fine carbon black, and electrolytes, ec³ creates a conductive “nanonetwork” that could enable walls, sidewalks, and bridges to store and release electrical energy like giant batteries. To date, the technology has been limited by low voltage and scalability challenges. But the latest work by the MIT team that invented ec³ has increased the energy storage capacity by an order of magnitude. With the improved technology, about five cubic meters of concrete—the volume of a typical basement wall—could store enough energy to meet the daily needs of the average home.”