Living microbial cement supercapacitors with reactivatable energy storage

Abstract

Abstract For millennia, cement has been regarded as inert structural material. Here, we challenge this long-standing perception by transforming cement into a “living” energy device, pioneering the first microbial cement supercapacitor. This biohybrid system achieves 178.7 Wh/kg energy density and 8.3 kW/kg power density, surpassing state-of-the-art cement-based capacitors and some lithium-ion capacitors. By integrating electroactive microorganisms into cement, we established a functional charge storage network that leverages extracellular electron transfer to enable dynamic redox-active energy storage. This system exhibits cycling stability, retaining 88% of its capacitance after 5,000 cycles. Even after microbial inactivation, residual conductive networks and redox-active biofilms sustain charge storage. Moreover, we introduce a reactivation strategy, wherein an embedded microfluidic network periodically supplies nutrients to restore microbial activity, enabling up to 18% capacitance recovery and sustaining long-term charge transfer efficiency. Our findings establish a new paradigm for bio-integrated, cement-based energy materials, paving the way for energy-autonomous infrastructure.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.21203/rs.3.rs-6402806/v1

Journal

Research Square

Year

2025