In recent months, surprising news has emerged about a material as common as it is essential: cement. Researchers from MIT and other institutions have published studies describing new types of cement capable of storing energy, functioning almost like a battery.
The idea seems like something out of science fiction, but it has a very solid scientific basis. To achieve this effect, researchers have added ultrafine carbon particles, electrolytes, and a series of integrated electrodes to the traditional cement mixture.
These special ingredients allow the material to charge and discharge energy, similar to how a battery (or a supercapacitor) works. Explained this way, it sounds simple, but it isn't. Making a material as rigid, porous, and structural as cement store electricity in a controlled manner presents an enormous challenge.
For now, the results are from laboratory tests, small samples the size of a brick or even smaller, enough to demonstrate that the concept works. The challenge now is to scale the technology to sizes useful for real buildings.
Although the results are very promising, the gap between initial research and its practical application in construction is considerable. It could take 10 years or more before we see this technology in homes or commercial buildings, provided it is technically, economically, and regulatoryly viable.
Cement has millions of uses and a huge variety of mechanical requirements. A structural wall is not the same as a pavement or an interior wall. Each application demands different strengths and behaviors. Integrating electrical functions within the material without compromising its strength is one of the major challenges.
But if it is achieved, the impact would be enormous, as it would be a radical change in energy storage.
Imagine that the walls, floors, or foundations of a building could store energy from solar panels or wind turbines. This would allow for batteries integrated into the structure itself, reducing the need for external storage systems, which often use scarce materials such as lithium, cobalt, or nickel.
An entire building could function as a giant energy bank, facilitating solar self-consumption, reducing peak demand, and improving the overall efficiency of the electrical grid.
For homes and small industries, it would be a cheaper, longer-lasting, and safer solution than traditional batteries. And for large cities, it would mean the possibility of storing enormous amounts of renewable energy without taking up additional space.
The interest in this innovation is no coincidence. Cement is, after water, the most widely used material on the planet. Billions of tons are produced every year, and its manufacture accounts for nearly 40% of global emissions from the construction sector.
This is due both to the heat required for its production and the chemical reactions that release CO₂ during its manufacturing process. If we could transform this material, so polluting in its production, into an ally for energy storage, we would be taking a twofold step forward:
Although the news is promising, it's important to remain grounded. Recent history is full of revolutionary technologies that took years to solidify or never even became actual products.
These potential new types of cement still need to prove they can last for decades, withstand moisture, loads, vibrations, temperature changes, and the chemical environment. They also need to be economically competitive with current solutions.
For now, all we can do is wait, closely follow the progress, and see what researchers and manufacturers achieve in the coming years. And if they finally succeed, we will be witnessing one of the most important innovations in the world of energy and construction.
Let us hope so.
EN 
ES