Smart Bricks Can Store Electricity Just Like Batteries

 A 'smart brick' that costs as little as 50p to produce can be used to store electricity ‘like a battery' and may be the future building material of choice, developers claim.

Researchers from Washington University found a way to convert simple 'red bricks' they purchased from a local hardware store into energy storage units, the Daily Mail reported.

Red brick is one of the world's cheapest and most common building materials in use today, but has been used in the same way for thousands of years.

By adding a conductive polymer coating to a brick, the researchers were able to transform it into an electricity storage device, capable of powering an LED bulb.

The team say houses of the future could be made using their new version of the fired brick, and it could be used to power lights and other devices within homes.

Chemists who developed the new technology claim just 50 of the bricks within a wall of a building could power emergency lighting for five hours.

Walls and buildings made out of bricks already occupy large amounts of space, which could be better utilised if given a dual-purpose, study authors claim.
  (Tasnim)