A team of researchers led by Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, has recently made an exciting discovery that could revolutionize the construction industry. They have turned ordinary red bricks, a widely available and cheap building material, into “smart bricks” that can store energy like a battery.
According to the research, walls made of these bricks could store significant energy, making them a beneficial resource for renewable energy solutions. Although this is still in the proof-of-concept stage, the researchers are confident that this technology has enormous potential. According to them, walls made of smart bricks can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times within an hour, making them more efficient than most batteries on the market.
The researchers developed a method of converting red bricks into a supercapacitor energy storage device. This involved coating the brick samples with a conducting material known as PEDOT, which then seeped through the fired bricks’ porous structure, converting them into “energy-storing electrodes.” The red pigment in the iron oxide bricks also played a crucial role. This discovery could have significant implications for the future of sustainable energy. For example, imagine a world where buildings are not only sources of shelter but also energy. Smart bricks could power streetlights, charge electric vehicles, or even store excess energy from solar panels. Furthermore, since red bricks are a popular building material, retrofitting existing buildings could be an inexpensive and straightforward way to incorporate this technology into our cities.
The breakthrough in energy storage technology could be a game-changer in the renewable energy industry. With further development and refinement, smart bricks can transform our thoughts about building and energy storage.
