Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

One such technology is being developed by Chris Tuan, professor of civil engineering at the University of Nebraska. By mixing in relatively small amounts of steel shavings and carbon, Tuan and his team have managed to make concrete just conductive enough to carry an electrical charge. The augmented concrete melts can warm itself up enough to melt accumulated snow and ice, but remains safe to touch.

The concept itself is not new — civil engineers have been working with potential conductive concrete applications for decades. But the Nebraska team’s design is starting to get some major traction, so to speak. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently testing the material in a pilot program that wraps up in March. If all goes well, the agency will scale up the program by integrating conductive concrete into the tarmac of U.S. airports.

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