--- title: "They Turned a Brick Into a Battery" description: "A team of researchers at Washington University in St Louis have figured out a way to turn regular ol' bricks into batteries." date: "2020-08-12" modified: "2020-08-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bricks-supercapacitor-battery" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "brick" - "supercapacitor" - "supercapacitors" - "the digest" --- # They Turned a Brick Into a Battery ![A team of researchers at Washington University in St Louis have figured out a way to turn regular ol' bricks into batteries.]() *\Image: D’Arcy laboratory\* ## Powerhouse From the Department of [They Did Surgery on a Grape](): A team of researchers at Washington University in St Louis have figured out a way to [turn regular ol' bricks into batteries](). They did it by filling the pores of the brick with tiny conducting nanofibers of plastic that can store a charge. In early tests, the bricks were capable of powering a small LED light. While the energy density is still incredibly low — that's mostly due to the fact that the bricks are supercapacitors, not chemical reaction-based batteries — the research could point towards a future where energy could be stored in the literal walls of a house. ## Food for Thought “A solar cell on the roof of your house has to store electricity somewhere and typically we use batteries,” Julio D’Arcy, at Washington University, and co-author of the study published in the journal Nature Communications, [told *The Guardian*](). “What we have done is provide a new ‘food-for-thought’ option, but we’re not there yet.” As of right now, compared to a lithium ion battery, the power brick only has one perfect the energy density. The researchers are hoping to increase this tenfold by using metal oxides. ## Brick Storage If — and as of right now that's still a big if — the energy density ever became comparable to lithium ion batteries, “it would be a different world and you would not hear the words ‘lithium ion battery’ again,” as D'Arcy told the newspaper, as it'd be "way cheaper" technology. To make their power bricks the construction material of the future, the researchers would also have to figure out a way to make them weatherproof and insulated. **READ MORE:** [Powerhouses: nanotechnology turns bricks into batteries]() \[*The Guardian*\] **More on supercapacitors:** *[Tesla Just Bought An “Ultracapacitor” Manufacturer]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()