"Biology provides several tools for us to solve important problems," said Evgenia Barannikova, a graduate student at UMBC. "By mimicking biological processes, we can find the better solution."
Barannikova and her colleagues used a procedure called 'Phage Display' to screen more than 1billion possible peptides in search of one that would stick strongly to LMNO. The researchers then combined the newly discovered peptide with a previously isolated peptide that binds to carbon nanotubes, which can serve as conductive nanowires in Li-ion electrodes.
The resulting peptide could form a bridge, binding to LMNO nanoparticles and to carbon nanotubes, keeping them close enough to maintain a connection through multiple charging cycles. In this way, the researchers expect the peptide will improve the power and cycling stability of future Li-ion batteries, allowing them to be smaller and maintain longer lifetimes.
Now, Barannikova plans to make an anode using similar techniques and to integrate the two components.
