A research team at Aarhus University has demonstrated how the world’s most widely used building material can be transformed into a living energy device. By integrating electricity-generating microbes into cement, the team has created a living supercapacitor that can store electricity and even regenerate its capacity when fed nutrients. The technology could pave the way for energy-autonomous buildings and infrastructure.

Catalysts are indispensable for the large-scale production of many chemicals, as they accelerate chemical reactions. Some of them contain metal atoms such as iron as key building blocks. The electrons of each individual iron atom possess a tiny magnetic moment, the so-called spin. When several iron atoms meet in a catalyst, the way their spins are oriented relative to each other is crucial. A research team at the University of Vienna was able to decipher the mode of action of an iron-based catalyst using quantum mechanical calculations. They showed that the phenomenon of superposition stabilizes the catalyst and makes it more effective.