Virus batteries have capacity to power cars

According to Angela Belcher, MIT's professor of materials science and engineering and biological engineering, the virus produced batteries have enough energy capacity to power a car. The synthesis requires no harmful organic solvents and the materials that go into the battery are non toxic. The researchers constructed a lithium-ion battery that uses genetically engineered viruses to create a negatively charged anode and positively charged cathode. In a traditional lithium-ion battery, lithium ions flow between a negatively charged anode, usually graphite, and the positively charged cathode, usually cobalt oxide or lithium iron phosphate. In the latest work, the team focused on building a highly powerful cathode to pair up with the anode, said Belcher, the Germeshausen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biological Engineering. Because the viruses recognise and bind specifically to certain materials, each iron phosphate nanowire can be electrically 'wired' to conducting carbon nanotube networks. Electrons can travel along the carbon nanotube networks, penetrating throughout the electrodes to the iron phosphate and transferring energy in a short time. Belcher explained that by incorporating carbon nanotubes, the cathode's conductivity increased without adding too much weight to the battery. In lab tests, batteries with the new cathode material could be charged and discharged at least 100 times without losing any capacitance. The technology allows for the assembly of very lightweight, flexible and conformable batteries that can take the shape of their container. Belcher said that she intends to further the research into materials with higher voltage and capacitance, with a view to putting the technology into commercial production.