A new ‘supercapacitor’ made of ancient, abundant material can store large amounts of energy. Made of cement, water, and carbon black (which resembles powdered charcoal), the device could form the basis for inexpensive systems storing intermittently renewable energy—i.e. solar or wind energy. The two materials can be combined with water to make a supercapacitor–an alternative to batteries– providing electrical energy storage which could eventually be incorporated into a house’s concrete foundation, where it could store a full day’s worth of energy while adding little (or no) to the cost of the foundation and still providing the needed structural strength. Researchers also envision a concrete roadway that could provide contactless recharging for electric cars as they travel over that road.
news.mit.edu/2023/mit-engineers-create-supercapacitor-ancient-materials-0731