Exploring Living Architectures with Microbial Cement Supercapacitors

For millennia, cement has been regarded as an inert structural material. Here, we challenge this long-standing perception by transforming cement into a “living” energy device, pioneering a new class of microbial cement supercapacitors. By embedding electroactive microorganisms within cementitious matrices, we introduce a biohybrid system that stores charge through microbial redox activity and extracellular electron transfer. This material not only retains its mechanical robustness but also gains dynamic energy functionality, enabling a new category of building elements that combine structural and electrochemical performance. Notably, the embedded microbes remain electrochemically active over time and can be reactivated via nutrient infusion through an integrated microfluidic network. This responsiveness opens up the possibility for cyclic regeneration and sustained charge transfer, introducing an element of temporal behavior into otherwise static construction materials.

While this research remains in its early stages, it offers a compelling proof of concept for integrating living systems directly into architectural materials. By leveraging biological intelligence within structural matter, we move toward a future in which built environments are not only passive shelters but responsive, energy-aware entities capable of interacting with their surroundings. Our findings redefine how we understand, design, and utilize construction materials, contributing to the broader discourse on sustainable, adaptive, and multifunctional infrastructure in the age of climate and resource challenges. This work opens new perspectives for designing living architectures that merge structure, function, and biological agency into a unified material paradigm.