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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Self-heating panels demo in Sapporo, Japan
Our self-heating concrete panels were placed in Odori Park last week to demonstrate how conductive concrete can melt snow and ice, improving pedestrian and driver safety while reducing energy consumption versus conventional heating methods. Thank you to Aizawa Concrete Corporation…
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MIT hubs explore structural concrete for power storage
Concrete has been used as a building material since 6500BC. Throughout this time, it has been seen solely as a structural material. Today, 14 billion m3 of concrete is poured annually. Recently, considerable efforts have been made to modify concrete…
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MIT ec³ hub Hosts Inauguration Ceremony
We celebrated the formation of the ec³ hub at our September 16th inauguration ceremony, which brought executives and academics from around the world to MIT campus. We thank everyone who joined us for our presentations and poster/tech demo reception for…
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Next-generation concrete: Combining loadbearing and energy storage solutions
This research brief by Damian Stefaniuk, James Weaver, Admir Masic, and Franz-Josef Ulm outlines the basics of the electron-conducting carbon concrete technology, a multifunctional concrete that combines this intrinsically scalable, resilient structural material with energy storage and delivery capabilities. Read…
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ec³ hub researchers to present at NT24
On June 27th at the NT24 conference, don’t miss Damian Stefaniuk, James Weaver, Admir Masic, and Franz-Josef Ulm’s poster presentation, “Load-Bearing Carbon Cement Supercapacitors for Structural Energy Storage Systems.” The presentation is scheduled between 5:30 and 7:30pm ET in MIT…
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The cement that could turn your house into a giant battery
On a laboratory bench in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a stack of polished cylinders of black-coloured concrete sit bathed in liquid and entwined in cables. To a casual observer, they aren’t doing much. But then Damian Stefaniuk flicks a switch. The blocks…