Asphalt batteries were good, but concrete / cement-ion is even better. Building as an energy store
Just over two years ago, we described how natural asphalt can increase the capacity of a lithium-ion battery. Now there is a request for other material that we come across every day. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden view the concept of a concrete block as a giant battery. And they already have a prototype of a cement-ion battery.
“The battery level on the block is 27 percent. Loading"
The idea is simple: let's turn the objects around us into batteries to store energy in them when we have too much of it. This is easier said than done. Therefore, scientists at Chalmers University decided to develop cement-based cells. Anode Made of Nickel Plated Carbon Fiber Mesh. Cathode it is the same mesh, but covered with iron. Both gratings were embedded in an electrically conductive cement-based mixture embedded with additional short carbon fibers.
A prototype cell is located here and works in the laboratory.in the initial photo, it powers the diode (source). The energy density is not excessive, as it is 0,0008 kWh / l (0,8 Wh / l) or 0,007 kWh / mXNUMX.2... For comparison: modern lithium-ion cells offer several hundred watt-hours per liter (Wh / l), which is hundreds of times more. But this is a small problem, given that cement (concrete) blocks are structures of hundreds of cubic meters.
The cement battery, developed by scientists at Chalmers University, is ten times more powerful than previous similar systems. Most importantly, it can be charged and discharged multiple times. Researchers are cautious: while it is about power diodes, small sensors or traffic monitoring systems on roads and bridges. But they see no obstacles for the future use of electrode grids in large buildings, thus turning them into giant energy storage devices.
At the moment, the biggest challenge is to design the cells in such a way that they last as long as concrete structures, that is, at least 50-100 years. If this fails, their replacement and recycling should be simple so that restoration of the building's capacity as an energy storage facility does not require demolition and re-installation.
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