Ultra-small batteries powered by viruses

MIT researchers claim dramatic performance increases
Iain Thomson, vnunet.com 07 Apr 2006

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2153668/viruses-assemble-ultra-small

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are using viruses to create tiny batteries that can store up to three times as much energy as conventional power systems.

The team, led by MIT professors Angela Belcher, Paula Hammond and Yet-Ming Chiang, genetically modified a virus so that it attracts cobalt oxide and gold, and assembled the metals into ultra-thin wires just six nanometres in diameter.

The viruses can be cloned to assemble lithium batteries ranging in size from a grain of rice to a full-sized product.

"Once we have altered the genes of the virus to grow the electrode material, we can easily clone millions of identical copies of the virus to use in assembling our batteries," said Professor Belcher.

"For the metal oxide we chose cobalt oxide because it has very good specific capacity, which will produce batteries with high energy density.

"This allows it to store two or three times more energy for its size and weight compared to previous battery electrode materials. And adding the gold further increased the wires' energy density."


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The Tommyknockers

Will the virus mutate? Will we all become energy sources?

Cool!

180

survive and multiply.

How will these viruses be contained? How easily will they escape from that containment? What possible mutations will they have? Will these mutant viruses be a threat to plants, animals, humans, enviornment?

It seems to me that science has always made discoveries that, while potentially having great benefits, also have devastating consequences.

This is the paradox of technology. It is always true! And the powerful will try to control technology in order to control people, and the people will always appropriate the technology to resist!

And so it goes, as Vonnegut would say . . .