Development of Carbon Black - Cement Supercapacitors with PVA-KOH Gel Electrolytes for Structural Energy Storage
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Yang Lu, Boise State University
Presentation Date
7-16-2026
Abstract
Cement is an abundantly available and cheap material used in the construction of much of the world's infrastructure. These qualities, coupled with its porosity, make it a prime candidate to be used in the engineering of a cement and carbon black (CCB) supercapacitor. When carbon black is incorporated into the cement matrix, hydration creates an interconnected, fractal-like conductive network throughout the material while preserving the pore structure needed for electrolyte transport. This combination of a conductive network and porous microstructure enables efficient charge storage through the formation of electric double layers, allowing structural materials to function simultaneously as load-bearing components and energy storage devices. Recent research has demonstrated the feasibility of cement-based supercapacitors for applications ranging from building foundations and roadways to renewable energy infrastructure, highlighting their potential to provide low-cost, scalable structural energy storage (Chung et al., 2023; Chung et al., 2025). This project aims to examine the potential of and recreate CCB supercapacitors paired with polyvinyl alcohol and potassium hydroxide (PVA-KOH) conductive electrolyte, based on previous research, and to test their conductivity and charging capacities. Due to delays in allocating the materials for this project, research is ongoing. Creation of a small supercapacitor cell that can charge and discharge enough electrical current to power a small LED is expected to be observed in the near future, after which testing will proceed to examine the effectiveness of differing ratios of CCB in supercapacitor construction. In the long run this work aims to establish a reproducible fabrication procedure to support the development of cement-based supercapacitors for future structural energy storage.
**References**
Chung, S.-Y., et al. (2023). *Carbon-cement supercapacitors as scalable energy storage for the built environment*. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(52), e2304318120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2304318120
Chung, S.-Y., et al. (2025). *Advances in cement-based structural supercapacitors for scalable energy storage*. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122, e2511912122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2511912122
Development of Carbon Black - Cement Supercapacitors with PVA-KOH Gel Electrolytes for Structural Energy Storage
Cement is an abundantly available and cheap material used in the construction of much of the world's infrastructure. These qualities, coupled with its porosity, make it a prime candidate to be used in the engineering of a cement and carbon black (CCB) supercapacitor. When carbon black is incorporated into the cement matrix, hydration creates an interconnected, fractal-like conductive network throughout the material while preserving the pore structure needed for electrolyte transport. This combination of a conductive network and porous microstructure enables efficient charge storage through the formation of electric double layers, allowing structural materials to function simultaneously as load-bearing components and energy storage devices. Recent research has demonstrated the feasibility of cement-based supercapacitors for applications ranging from building foundations and roadways to renewable energy infrastructure, highlighting their potential to provide low-cost, scalable structural energy storage (Chung et al., 2023; Chung et al., 2025). This project aims to examine the potential of and recreate CCB supercapacitors paired with polyvinyl alcohol and potassium hydroxide (PVA-KOH) conductive electrolyte, based on previous research, and to test their conductivity and charging capacities. Due to delays in allocating the materials for this project, research is ongoing. Creation of a small supercapacitor cell that can charge and discharge enough electrical current to power a small LED is expected to be observed in the near future, after which testing will proceed to examine the effectiveness of differing ratios of CCB in supercapacitor construction. In the long run this work aims to establish a reproducible fabrication procedure to support the development of cement-based supercapacitors for future structural energy storage.
**References**
Chung, S.-Y., et al. (2023). *Carbon-cement supercapacitors as scalable energy storage for the built environment*. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(52), e2304318120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2304318120
Chung, S.-Y., et al. (2025). *Advances in cement-based structural supercapacitors for scalable energy storage*. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122, e2511912122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2511912122