Virus Used To Create Better Lithium Batteries

The race is on to create the longest lasting battery possible for a wide range of devices with a fast recharge time – after all, those of us who are already so dependent on technology and feel extremely naked whenever our cell phone goes out of commission will definitely be able to identify with this need. Korean researchers from MIT as well as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (as seen above) have decided to enlist the help of a biological agent in their quest to create a viable lithium battery solution – a virus known as M13, so to speak. The M13 virus will be used to produce nano-structured electrodes that give the batteries more power. This is no human-killer, as it is a commonly found bacteriophage which measures roughly 1 micrometer long, 10 nanometers in diameter and is encapsulated by the major coat protein P8. Its genes will be manipulated to create cathode materials that are subsequently attached to carbon nanotubes so that lithium-ion batteries which overpower existing models easily can be produced. Initial tests show that the output of M13 batteries were nearly 10 times stronger that of standard lithium-ion batteries in the market today.