Cement may be used in the plasmas and LCDs of the future because of researchers at the Tokyo Institue of Technology. They have discovered a way to create cement that conducts electricity "on par with that of manganese." Also, it becomes practically transparent when sliced into thin membranes, meaning it can replace rare metals often used in plasma and LCDs. Since the materials to make the cement are common, it would be a boon for the environment (and cheaper) to use it instead.

The cement is made by heating a glass tube of a rapid hardening cement called alumina cement, along with titanium to 1,100 degrees celcius. This changes the normally poor conducting cement from "a crystal structure consisting of asymmetric cages" to "a homogenized, symmetrical cage structure that conducts electricity like metal."

Sounds like a great technology, as anything to lessen use of rare resources is good for the environment. However, cement that conducts electricity still has an eerie science fiction feel to me. I mean, what's next, wooden power cables?

Via Pink Tentacle

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