Can you imagine a complete 30-story cement building capable of storing energy as if it were a gigantic battery? Thanks to research recently carried out by the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, this would be a vision that could one day become a reality.
And it is that researchers from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering have published an article in which they describe a new concept of fully rechargeable batteries made of cement .
As scientists believe, the growing need for sustainable building materials poses great challenges for experts. Hence, many specialists have been working hard for several years in the search for construction materials of the future. Thus, now, they have developed a worldwide concept for a cement-based rechargeable battery.
The concept involves a cement-based combination with small amounts of small-sized carbon fibers, added in order to increase conductivity and flexural toughness . Then, inside the mix, we would find a metal covered carbon fiber mesh , consisting of iron for the anode and nickel for the cathode . This is, after much experimentation, the prototype presented just a few days ago by the researchers.
So far, the results of previous studies that had already investigated cement battery technology had shown very poor performance, so the scientists realized that they had to think of another way to produce the electrode.
Research has produced a cement-based rechargeable battery with an average energy density of 7 watts per square meter . This density is used to express the capacity of the battery. And, according to experts, the performance of this new battery could be 10 times higher than those developed so far.
While it is true that the energy density achieved is still low, especially when compared to commercial batteries, this limitation could be overcome thanks to the enormous volume at which the battery could be built when used in buildings.
It would be very helpful in solving energy storage problems
One of the most important qualities of a battery is that it is rechargeable. And, as the experts suggest, if the concept can be developed further, the applications could be revolutionary .
Although energy storage is a fairly obvious possibility, monitoring is another. For example, scientists see applications that could range from providing 4G connections in remote areas to powering LEDs to providing cathodic corrosion protection in cement infrastructure.
But its possibilities are much greater, since the battery could be coupled with solar cell panels in order to provide electricity and become the appropriate power source for monitoring systems on bridges or roads.
Concrete , which is formed by combining cement with other ingredients, is the most widely used construction material in the world, so although from a sustainability perspective, the idea is far from ideal, it could offer a new dimension.
