A new carbon-infused cement formulation conducts electricity and stores energy simultaneously — transforming concrete foundations, walls, and floors into structural supercapacitors.
Researchers at MIT mixed carbon black nanoparticles into standard Portland cement during mixing — the carbon forms a conductive dendritic network throughout the hardened cement matrix. Alternating cement and electrolyte layers create a supercapacitor architecture storing 300 watt-hours per cubic meter. A 45-cubic-meter home foundation stores 13.5 kilowatt-hours — equivalent to a standard home battery backup — while maintaining full structural load-bearing capacity.
The carbon-cement mixture achieves this through percolation — at 3.5% carbon concentration by weight the conductive particles form continuous pathways through the cement, creating both high conductivity and large surface area for charge storage simultaneously.
Building foundations never need separate battery installation — the structural concrete already performs both functions. Global concrete production of 4.4 billion tonnes annually could be converted to structural energy storage at essentially zero additional cost beyond carbon black addition.
Source: MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, PNAS, 2024
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