Similarly new concretes could be made more durable and even better for the environment.
"There is no reason to believe that we couldn't begin to make cement materials that employ other chemistries that do the same thing but don't produce emissions," said Jennings.
It's not so far-fetched.
According to Ulm, a very similar packing of nanoparticles also exists in human bones and in clays found several miles underground. And neither of these materials is heated to high temps.
Ulm and Constantinides have just begun to look at other materials as possible replacements. Magnesium, for example, could be an alternative. But re-engineering the calcium silicate hydrate to get them to stack in a pyramid without heating is another matter.
And even a 10 percent reduction in all concrete-related burning would accomplish one-fifth of the Kyoto Protocol goal of a 5.2 percent reduction in total carbon dioxide emissions.
"Everyone is looking a little bit for the golden apple to replace the oranges," Ulm said. He hopes they can find it.
