Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026
12:00
Evaluating the Electrochemical Properties of Supercapacitors using the Three-Electrode System
Published on: January 7, 2022
14.9K
Carbon Fiber-Garnet Sand Reinforced Multifunctional Electrically Conductive Concrete for Supercapacitive Energy
Karnan Manickavasakam1, Mohammed A Al-Huri1, Khaled M Kharma2
1Interdisciplinary Research Center for Construction and Building Materials, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Chemistry, an Asian Journal
|February 23, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed electrically conductive concrete (ECC) using carbon fibers and garnet sand. This innovative material offers enhanced structural strength and serves as a substrate for electrochemical energy storage in supercapacitors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Civil Engineering
Background:
- Conventional concrete lacks electrical conductivity, limiting its use in smart infrastructure.
- Integrating energy storage directly into structural materials is a key challenge for sustainable development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an electrically conductive concrete (ECC) with integrated electrochemical energy storage capabilities.
- To optimize ECC formulation for enhanced mechanical and electrical properties.
- To evaluate the performance of ECC as a substrate for supercapacitor electrodes.
Main Methods:
- Incorporation of carbon fibers (CF) and almandine garnet sand into a Portland cement matrix.
- Surface coating with activated carbon for electrode layer formation.
- Characterization using FE-SEM, elemental analysis, electrical resistivity, compressive, and flexural strength tests.
- Electrochemical performance evaluation of ECC-based supercapacitors in a hydroquinone/Na2SO4 electrolyte.
Main Results:
- Optimized ECC achieved low electrical resistivity (15 Ω·cm) and improved mechanical strengths (39 MPa compressive, 13.4 MPa flexural).
- Continuous conductive network confirmed by material analysis.
- ECC-based supercapacitors demonstrated high specific capacity (217 C g⁻¹), energy density (17.36 Wh kg⁻¹), and good cycle stability (78% retention after 5000 cycles).
Conclusions:
- Carbon-fiber-reinforced ECC is a promising multifunctional material for structural integrity and electrochemical energy storage.
- This technology offers a pathway toward intelligent and sustainable infrastructure systems.
- The developed ECC integrates structural and energy storage functions, paving the way for novel applications.
Keywords:
activated carbonalmandine garnet sandcarbon fiberselectrically conductive concretesustainable infrastructureMore Related Videos
08:59Synthesizing a Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Supercapacitors, Assembling a Supercapacitor Using a Coin Cell, and Measuring Gel Electrolyte Performance
Published on: November 30, 2022
5.2K
14:42Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators
Published on: April 25, 2020
8.9K
Related Concept Videos
01:22Fiber Reinforced Concrete
451
Fiber-reinforced concrete significantly enhances the structural and nonstructural properties of traditional concrete by incorporating fibers like steel, glass, and polymers. These fibers, varying from natural ones such as sisal and cellulose to manufactured ones like polypropylene and Kevlar, are mixed into hydraulic cement with aggregates. Steel fibers, often preferred for their robustness, contribute to improved ductility, toughness, and post-cracking performance. The concrete is classified...
451
01:26Energy Stored in a Capacitor: Problem Solving
1.8K
In 1749, Benjamin Franklin coined the word battery for a series of capacitors connected to store energy. Capacitors store electric potential energy that can be released over a short time. This property means capacitors have a wide range of applications.
Capacitor-discharge ignition is a type of ignition system commonly found in small engines where the energy released from a capacitor ignites an induction coil that, in turn, fires the spark plug.
To calculate the energy stored in a capacitor of...
Capacitor-discharge ignition is a type of ignition system commonly found in small engines where the energy released from a capacitor ignites an induction coil that, in turn, fires the spark plug.
To calculate the energy stored in a capacitor of...
1.8K
01:12Energy Stored in a Capacitor
4.8K
When an archer pulls the string in a bow, he saves the work done in the form of elastic potential energy. When he releases the string, the potential energy is released as kinetic energy of the arrow. A capacitor works on the same principle in which the work done is saved as electric potential energy. The potential energy (UC) could be calculated by measuring the work done (W) to charge the capacitor.
4.8K
01:18Capacitor With A Dielectric
5.0K
Parallel plate capacitors consist of two conducting plates separated by a certain distance. However, it is mechanically difficult to hold the large plates parallel to each other without actual contact. Hence, a dielectric layer is commonly placed between the plates, which provides an easy solution for holding the plates together with a small gap and increases the capacitance of the capacitor.
Dielectrics are non-conducting materials with no free or loosely bound electrons. When a dielectric is...
Dielectrics are non-conducting materials with no free or loosely bound electrons. When a dielectric is...
5.0K
01:10Energy Stored in Capacitors
1.2K
A parallel plate capacitor, when connected to a battery, develops a potential difference across its plates. This potential difference is key to the operation of the capacitor, as it determines how much electrical energy the capacitor can store.
By integrating the equation that relates voltage and current in a capacitor, one can derive an equation for the voltage across the capacitor at any given time. This equation is crucial in understanding and predicting the behavior of capacitors in...
By integrating the equation that relates voltage and current in a capacitor, one can derive an equation for the voltage across the capacitor at any given time. This equation is crucial in understanding and predicting the behavior of capacitors in...
1.2K
01:23Capacitor in an AC Circuit
3.9K
A capacitor is charged by passing an electric current through it, which causes the plates to start accumulating an electrostatic charge. Since the strength of the charging current is maximum when the capacitor plates are uncharged and gradually decreases exponentially until the capacitor is fully charged, the charging process is neither instantaneous nor linear. The property of a capacitor to store a charge on its plates is called its capacitance.
Consider a purely capacitive circuit consisting...
Consider a purely capacitive circuit consisting...
3.9K