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Comment by 1letterunixname | Hacker News Reader

Looks like a superb material science hack.

A potential downside is the predominant production methods for cement aren't great for the climate.

This may be true, but if it's going to be used for housing foundations regardless (because there aren't competitive alternatives), then it's essentially a sunk cost. The fact that you can get a supercapacitor out of your foundation for very low incremental cost is amazing (assuming they can scale the technology as anticipated).

One thing I wondered about is what happens as the concrete expands/contracts due to weather, or is fractured when it 'settles' (or if there is an earthquake).

Surely a fractured supercapacitor is basically a bomb waiting to explode?

Depends on if it can short its charge to ground I guess, and how fast. An uncharged concrete capacitor is of course pretty harmless even if it cracks, so perhaps you could pour some strain gauges into it so you get advance warning of impending problems.

I know nothing of the topic, but this was the type of thing I reflexively wondered about. Hopefully knowledgeable HNers can fill us in on the likely risks or downsides, which are not typically the focus of university press releases.

Carbon black is produced by burning petroleum productd, so that oughta bring on the poo-poo squad directly.

Would it be possible to produce carbon black from atmospheric CO₂?

Can you burn CO₂?

You can electrolyze CO2 into carbon and oxygen.

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