A group of researchers has developed a material based on cement and hydrogel that manages to support weight, and at the same time, the generation and storage of electricity from ambient heat. This development is inspired by the anatomy of plant stems, a bio-inspired concrete with a multilayer structure that maximizes ionic transport, increasing its thermoelectric capacity.
The capabilities of bio-inspired concrete
The research is led by Professor Zhou Yang of Southeastern University, reveals a design that alternates layers of cement with polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) hydrogel. This arrangement enhances the mobility of ions such as OH- and Ca²⁺, and facilitates key interactions at material interfaces, which boosts electrical generation.
This new material achieved a Seebeck coefficient of -40.5 mV/K and a figure of merit(ZT) of 6.6 × 10-². These figures far exceed cement-based thermoelectric materials, multiplying their capabilities up to tenfold.
According to the researchers, the successful performance lies in the selective control of ion mobility. By allowing ions to move with different velocities through the porous structure, the composite converts thermal gradients into electrical potential much more efficiently than conventional cement.
In addition to its generating capacity, this smart cement acts as an energy storage system. energy storage systemThis opens the door to its use in autonomous structural applications, such as buildings, roads and bridges, which could integrate this technology to power sensors, IoT devices or monitoring systems, without external sources.
During the SynBioBeta conference, in a session focused on reducing carbon emissions from the concrete sector, emerging challenges and solutions such as this one were discussed. The development of this thermoelectric concrete aims directly at that goal: to offer sustainable and functional materials that integrate energy generation and management into the urban structure itself.
The researchers conclude that their multilayer design, together with selective ion immobilization at interfaces, could become the basis for future smart materials to power the infrastructure of tomorrow’s cities.
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Source and photo: SynBioBeta
