Ayed Abdulhadi Al-Ruwaili
July 8, 2025
It could one day be built into the foundations of homes or incorporated into a roadway so electric cars can charge contactlessly as they drive. MIT researchers discovered a new ‘supercapacitor’ by combining cement with carbon black. A sooty residue left over when things burn, and mixing them both with water.
Scientists have created a battery alternative out of cement. This new "supercapacitor" could one day be built into the foundations of homes or incorporated into a roadway so electric cars can charge contactless as they drive.
The supercapacitor is made by combining cement with carbon black, a sooty residue left over when things burn. The water forms pathways in the cement, and the cement and carbon separate to form a connected network of tiny conductive wires.
Supercapacitors are an alternative way of storing energy. Unlike batteries, which rely on chemical reactions, supercapacitors store power using static electricity. This means that they can charge almost instantaneously, while a battery can take hours.
The elements in MIT's supercapacitor are cheap, widely available, and non-toxic. This makes them a promising candidate for a variety of applications, including:
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