What is the MIT ec3 (“ec-cube”) hub?
Founded in April 2024, the MIT Electron-Conducting Carbon-Cement-Based Materials Hub (ec3 hub) is a research consortium across MIT that aims to research and implement multifunctional cement-based materials. Read the ec3 mission and vision statement. Cement-based multifunctional materials go beyond just structural load bearing, such as storing energy or self-heating. As an outgrowth of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, the MIT ec3 hub is dedicated to advancing a broad research portfolio, implementing real-world solutions, and educating through stakeholder outreach.
Recent ec3 News and Resources
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What if concrete could melt snow and ice?
What if concrete could heat itself to keep roads and sidewalks clear of snow and ice? ec³ self-heating slabs that could do just that were deployed at a demonstration in Sapporo, Japan—one of the snowiest places in the world. This…
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MIT Research + Action newsletter highlights ec³ technology
This month’s MIT Research + Action newsletter featured conductive concrete research underway at the ec³ hub and MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub. We are honored that the MIT Climate Portal featured this work alongside innovative research happening across the MIT community.…
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Concrete battery that can power homes is now 10 times better
The Independent: “Buildings and roads built with a new type of concrete could soon serve as giant batteries capable of powering homes and electric vehicles. Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who first discovered the next-generation energy storage system…
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Scientists are turning giants slabs of concrete into freaking batteries
New in Popular Mechanics: “Scientists have developed concrete with self-healing abilities, concrete that acts as a kind of carbon sink, and concrete that can even increase crop yields. Now scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have improved upon…
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New concrete battery delivers 10x energy boost, turns buildings into giant power banks
“Concrete has long built our cities, but researchers now see it as a future power source, too. A new form of electron-conducting carbon concrete, or ec³, can store and release electricity. The breakthrough from MIT scientists shows how everyday walls,…
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Concrete “battery” developed at MIT now packs 10 times the power
This article highlights the advancements in ec^3 technology highlighted in our new PNAS paper. Thanks to optimized electrolytes, learnings from 3D imaging, and a new cast-in-electrolyte technique, ec^3 concrete supercapacitors can now achieve a 10x higher energy density and a…