
Scientists Turn Normal Red Bricks into Electricity-Storing Supercapacitors - elsewhen
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9358ye/scientists-turn-normal-red-bricks-into-electricity-storing-supercapacitors
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peter_d_sherman
>"“We discovered that if you actually treat rust chemically, it actually
becomes reactive,” D’Arcy explained. “So something that we typically think of
as waste turns out to be a useful chemical for producing materials that can be
used for storing energy.”

The pigment in red bricks is partially derived from rust, which inspired the
researchers to take a closer look at the structural properties of bricks to
see if they could be converted to an energy-storing device called a
supercapacitor.

The intricate porous interiors of bricks turned out to be an ideal space to
introduce sophisticated polymer coatings, which react with rust to increase
the surface area and conductivity of bricks.

As a result of the modifications, the team was able to engineer a prototype
smart brick that stored enough energy to power the green light. The team is
currently building on its findings by manufacturing specialized bricks with
various metal oxides and polymer coatings."

My thoughts:

Character A: "It's a _brick_!"

Character B: "No, it's a _supercapacitor_!"

Character A: "Brick!"

Character B: "Supercapacitor!"

Character C: "Hey, _you 're both right_!"

