World’s first living cement can store electricity and power buildings from within
Aarhus University researchers have shown that cement can do more than hold up walls.
By embedding living bacteria into the world’s most common building material, the team has created a supercapacitor capable of storing electricity. The proof-of-concept material not only holds energy but can also recover its performance when “fed” with nutrients.
Lead researcher Qi Luo said they had merged structure with function, creating a material that not only carries weight and stores energy but can also restore its performance when given nutrients.
Concrete has long been considered lifeless. The Danish team challenged that idea by adding Shewanella oneidensis, a bacterium known for its ability to move electrons outside its cell.
Once inside the cement, the microbes create a network of charge carriers that store and release energy.
Early tests suggest the approach already outperforms traditional cement-based storage devices. Even more striking, the cement continues to function after the microbes die, and researchers can bring it back to life with nutrients.
The discovery highlights how building materials may soon play an active role in energy systems. Instead of serving as passive shells, future walls and foundations could act as both shelter and storage.
Recoverable power system
Microbial activity tends to fade as nutrients run out. To address this, the scientists integrated a microfluidic system into the cement. It supplies proteins, vitamins, salts, and growth factors to keep bacteria alive or revive them.
This approach recovers as much as 80% of the original capacity. In practical terms, the team says buildings could become recoverable energy materials, reducing the need to replace batteries or perform costly repairs.
The researchers also tested the cement under extreme conditions. It stored and discharged power in both freezing and hot environments. Six blocks wired together produced enough electricity to light an LED bulb.
“This isn’t just a lab experiment,” Luo said. “We envision this technology being integrated into real buildings, in walls, foundations, or bridges, where it can support renewable energy sources like solar panels by providing local energy storage.”
He added that even modest performance could have an impact. A room made of the material could store around 10 kWh, enough to power a standard enterprise server for a day.
Infrastructure that powers itself
As renewables expand, demand for affordable and sustainable storage grows. Today’s batteries depend on scarce resources like lithium and cobalt and degrade over time.
The cement-based system avoids those problems. It uses abundant, low-cost materials and naturally occurring bacteria. It also works at a scale far beyond conventional devices.
Though still at an early stage, the research points to a future where buildings act as their own batteries. That could mean bridges powering their own sensors, or homes storing the day’s solar energy in their walls.
The team’s findings suggest the next generation of infrastructure could be both structural and electrical.
Instead of installing batteries, future builders may pour them.
Source: Interesting Engineering
World’s first living cement can store electricity and power buildings from within
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