DIT PhD Project
Supervisor name & contact details:
Dr. Niall Holmes
Department of Civil & Structural Engineering,
School of Civil Engineering, DIT Bolton Street
Email niall.holmes@dit.ie
Co-supervisor Dr. Aidan Duffy
Department of Civil & Structural Engineering,
School of Civil Engineering, DIT Bolton Street
Email aidan.duffy@dit.ie
Supervisors Profile:
http://dit.ie/civilandbuildingservicesengineerin
g/cbseii/research/
https://sites.google.com/site/aidanduffycv/
Research Centre (if applicable):
Dublin Energy Lab (DEL)
Research Centre website (if applicable):
http://www.dit.ie/dublinenergylab/
Supervisors Publication List:
http://arrow.dit.ie/do/search/?q=author_lnam
e%3A%22Holmes%22%20AND%20author_fna
me%3A%22Niall%22&start=0&context=490738
&sort=date_desc
https://sites.google.com/site/aidanduffycv/ho
me/publications
Title of the Project:
Development of cement-based batteries to deliver sustainable low-level electrical energy
Project Summary:
This project will develop cement batteries capable of generating low-level electricity energy for
domestic and industrial buildings. The batteries will be connected in series and installed on a
building in the form of an external cladding with a render or brickwork finish capable of
withstanding the environment.
Cement batteries are a recent development in materials science. They are multi-layered
incorporating an anode and cathode (as in conventional batteries) with the pore water acting as
an electrolyte. This project will develop and improve on existing technologies in this area to
generate electricity powering low level lighting, such as mood lighting reducing unsustainable
electricity generation.
With the increasing cost of fossil fuel electricity generation and the resulting environmental
pollution from it, there is an ongoing need for clean and renewable ways to produce power. One
such method is by using batteries. However, as single conventional batteries have limited energy
generation, are environmentally unfriendly and perform poorly in harsh environments, their use
as an electricity producer has been limited.
The research questions to be answered include:
 Optimum utilisation of the panel including volume of pore solution / electrolyte
 Capacity of the battery to be rechargeable using solar energy incident on the structure
thus providing a new level of “smartness” to smart structures.
 Optimising the components in the cement matrix that makes up the battery anode and
cathode to form a small scale monolithic slab to improve handling as it is installed.
 Improving the power outputs through increasing the electrolyte ionic conductivity,
decreasing the resistivity in the anode and optimising the water to cement (w/c) ratio to
enhance the ionic conductivity.
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Engineering and other technological areas

New technologies in constructive engineering
