“Alternative energy source” is the new buzz-phrase these days, and scientists are now developing one particular alternative source of energy that comes from a catalyst you would probably never expect: the common virus.
Researchers have managed to modify a common virus known as M13 which normally only infects bacteria, so that it can potentially be used as a cheap, green source of electrodes used in lithium batteries. Technically, the virus grows proteins that attract iron phosphate; giving it it’s relatively high energy charge.
Researchers are hailing the discovery as a breakthrough in battery technology, which could do away with the harmful waste byproducts normally associated with batteries, while creating a practically unending source of new energy.
Scientists announced that the virus can also be modified so that it becomes “sticky” and attaches itself naturally to carbon, one of the best known conductors of electricity. So far, researchers have developed only coin sized prototype batteries, but performance has been similar to large commercial lithium-ion batteries.
Researcher Angela Belcher of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been overseeing the development and “genetic engineering” of the M13 virus, and is optimistic about the possibility of new cheap, environmentally-friendly batteries, which could theoretically power everything from your iPod to a hybrid car.
Testing found that the viral-based batteries could be recharged a minimum of 100 times without losing power capacity. The MIT team believes that with a little development and tweaking, this figure can be improved significantly; eventually the batteries would likely outperform current commercial grade lithium-ion batteries.
Another big benefit of the M13 virus batteries: size and weight. Batteries made with the viral technology could potentially be tiny, enabling them to power even microscopic electronic devices.
The flexibility of the battery’s design would also allow it to be made in practically any shape. In other words, the battery could be created specifically to fit the size and dimensions of the product it is powering. This, of course, is a huge advantage over today’s lithium batteries, which tend to be heavy, bulky, and available only in rectangular shapes.
The MIT research team began genetically engineering viruses with the specific aim of producing cheap energy sources less than four years ago. But over the last year and a half, the researchers have focused in specifically on the M13 virus, which is considered harmless to human beings, and can only attach itself to bacteria.
Although we can’t expect to see any virus powered batteries on the store shelves anytime soon, the success of the prototype has already got big industry interested, and several big energy players are already discussing the possibility of creating battery products with the technology being developed at MIT.
