Scientists create cement that generates & stores electricicty

Some of the best ideas come from nature. This new tech proves it. Scientists looked at how plants work and used that idea to change cement. They made a new kind of cement that can hold up buildings and also make and store electricity. Professor Zhou Yang and his team at Southeast University in China built this material. It could change how we build things in smart cities. There’s no AI or complicated electronics. Just a simple, smart upgrade to something we already use.

What is it?

The new material is a cement-hydrogel composite. To create it, the researchers mimicked the internal structure of plant stems. In plants, layers help move water and nutrients efficiently. The team used this idea to design a multilayer system made of alternating layers of cement and hydrogel. This structure allows the material to take advantage of something called the ionic thermoelectric effect. When there’s a temperature difference across the material, ions move, generating electrical energy in the process.

How does this cement work?

Previous efforts to make energy-generating cement struggled with low output. Dense cement structures slowed the movement of ions, which limited performance. The new composite solves that by using hydrogel as a pathway for ion transport. Hydrogel layers allow hydroxide ions (OH⁻) to move more freely, while calcium ions (Ca²⁺) at the cement-hydrogel interface help build a strong charge separation. This makes the material much better at converting heat into electricity.

The results are significant. The new composite reached a Seebeck coefficient of −40.5 mV/K, which is about ten times higher than earlier cement-based materials. It also achieved a figure of merit (ZT) of 6.6×10⁻², which measures how well a material converts heat to electricity. These improvements make it possible to imagine real-world applications that were not feasible with earlier versions.

One of the most promising aspects of this material is that it does more than just generate power. It can also store energy. This dual function means that parts of a building or road could act as both a power source and a battery. For example, a bridge could use this cement to power its own sensors, warning systems, or lights without needing separate power cables or batteries. A wall could store solar energy during the day and release it at night. It’s an idea that fits into a broader push to make infrastructure smarter and more self-sufficient.

Can it still hold up buildings?

The design also maintains structural strength. That’s important because any material used in construction has to support weight, resist wear, and last for years. The multilayer design helps balance mechanical durability with energy functionality. This makes the cement-hydrogel composite a serious candidate for use in buildings, roads, and public infrastructure.

While Zhou’s team focuses on generating electricity from temperature differences, another research group at MIT is exploring cement’s ability to store energy in a different way. Led by Professor Damian Stefaniuk, this group has developed supercapacitors made from cement, carbon black, and water. Carbon black, a fine soot-like substance, helps store electric charge. These supercapacitors can charge quickly and deliver short bursts of energy. They’re not batteries, but they can still power LED lights or small devices.

This version of energy-storing cement doesn’t need complex processing or rare materials. It’s cheap, scalable, and easy to produce. One prototype stored enough energy to power a small lamp. A larger version—about the size of a room—could store up to 10 kilowatt-hours, enough to power a house for a day. The idea is to embed energy storage directly into the structure of a building. A road could recharge electric cars as they drive. A house foundation could store solar energy. Concrete columns could store and release power for lighting or heating.

These developments point toward a future where infrastructure is no longer passive. Buildings, roads, and bridges could become active parts of energy networks. Instead of just standing there, they could help power themselves and their surroundings. This could reduce the need for external batteries, especially lithium-based ones, which come with environmental and ethical concerns.

Why this matters?

Cement is one of the most used materials on Earth. It’s responsible for 5 to 8 percent of global CO₂ emissions from human activities. If we can make it do more than just provide support—if we can turn it into an energy solution—we could offset some of those impacts. Cement-based energy systems could also reduce pressure on lithium supplies, which are limited and tied to mining practices that raise social and environmental issues.

There are still challenges. Supercapacitors release energy quickly, which may not be ideal for all uses. Increasing carbon black content can reduce structural strength. But researchers are already working on ways to balance these trade-offs. They are testing different mixes and exploring large-scale applications.

This is not about flashy devices or complex tech. It’s about rethinking a simple material. If walls, floors, and roads generate and store electricity, cities can manage energy differently. That changes how we build and live.

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