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 hub 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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How MIT Concrete “Batteries” Could Power the Future of Energy Infrastructure
Concrete already builds our world—could it power it, too? A new article in CONNstruction magazine explores our research on concrete “batteries” that store and release energy without compromising structural performance. Read the piece in the Winter 2025 issue published by…
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Concrete ‘batteries’ are one of MIT’s top stories in 2025
The Institute featured an article on improved ec³ energy density as the first story in their annual roundup of the year’s most-read pieces. Click here to read the roundup. Click here to read the article….Continue Reading Concrete ‘batteries’ are one…
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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…