MIT Scientists Create Virus-Based Battery
MIT researchers have gone and done something interesting: genetically engineer viruses to build a new type of battery.
An interesting article recently appeared in the subscription-based, online version of Science/AAAs (link), reporting how a group of MIT researchers managed to create a working battery based on a virus and nanotechnology. Typically, a battery contains four components: the cathode (positive), the anode (negative), a conductive chemical called the electrolyte that flows in between, and a separator that keeps the cathode and anode apart. Amazingly, the battery uses an engineered virus that clings together and creates new cathodes and anodes.
Worried about a battery leak causing some sort of horrendous infection? According to project leader Angela Belcher, the virus used in the battery is a common bacteriophage, which infects bacteria but is harmless to humans. Belcher and her team actually discovered how to manipulate the virus three years ago. Tinkering with the genetic code of the virus, the virus self-assembles to form a nanowire anode and collect negatively charged cobalt oxide and gold particles. The virus is grown on a polymer separator and form into a dense film one-tenth the width of a human hair.
Recently the MIT scientists created the cathode portion of the battery. This case proved to be a bit more difficult to manage because the material needed to be highly conductive; material for cathodes usually needs to be highly insulating. However, the scientists were able to "coax" the M13 virus--modifying two genes-- into binding with iron phosphate first, and then binding with carbon nanotubes. The result material gave the scientists the highly conductive material, a powerful and tiny electrode, needed to complete the first virus-based battery.
For now, the prototype appears as a typical coin cell battery. However, according to MIT news, the technology allows for the assembly of very lightweight, flexible, and conformable batteries that can take the shape of their container. But don't let its size be discouraging: the new virus-produced batteries have the same power performance and energy capacity used in current, state-of-the-art batteries that may power plug-in hybrid cars within the next few years. Current prototype can only be charged and discharged a hundred times before charge capacity begins to diminish. Belcher said that the batteries will be able to last much longer in the future.
"The advantage of using genetics is that things can be made better and better," Belcher said. "You are not stuck with a particular material; you have selection and evolution on your side because it can be genetically engineered."
Currently, Blecher and her team of scientists are searching for better materials with higher voltage and capacitance, perhaps looking into using manganese phosphate and nickel phosphate.
Belcher's team hopes that by using organic technologies, her prototype battery will not only be able to power a hybrid car, cell phone, and other portable devices, but remain environmentally safe. "We are having organisms make the materials for us," said Belcher. "We are confined to temperatures and solvents - water - that organisms can live in. It's a clean technology. We can't do anything that kills our organisms."
Recently another group of MIT engineers re-designed the surface of lithium iron phosphate to create an efficient, electrical beltway for lithium ions to use (story). The refined material enables a battery to recharge within a matter of seconds rather than hours. However, this battery is still in its prototype stage as well and most likely not see commercial production for two or three more years.
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Virus's and batteries... never in a million years would i have put those two together...
Imagine if this virus could be made to self-replicate. Talk about easy mass-production!
It's been done, remember the Electric plasmid from Bioshock? :3
for some reason I keep thinking of the movie " I am Legend" :-P. But that is pretty cool. So long as it doesn't doom mankind
What if the virus mutates and changes the voltage or leaked?
Captain Trips.
Yeah I seen movies about this. It never worked out well for the black guy.
for some reason I keep thinking of the movie " I am Legend" :-P. But that is pretty cool. So long as it doesn't doom mankind
Funney I was thinking the same thing...
What if the virus mutates and changes the voltage or leaked?
Viruses are only capable of replicating inside another organism, in this case a bacterium. As long as there's no bacteria in the battery, which seems to be the case, the viruses will be inactive.
Exactly so Aorus. Additionally the more this virus is customized to build battery anodes and cathodes the less it will be able to successfully replicate without high concentrations of the needed building and binding materials it was designed to use. Your average bacteria isn't exactly loaded with iron and nickle-phosphate.
The important part is that while they are trying to make intentional performance adjustments they can also run experiments to let the virus "adjust itself" and see which ones yield better results and why.
AKA they can take a batch of this virus, cause random point mutations, and then separate them out and put them in a battery building environment. Most will preform worse or similar to what they started with. But some mutations will be advantageous. Wash rinse repeat and continue selecting for the best performance. Not unlike breeding horses, let nature take care of some of the work.
We can only hope this leads to a zombie invasion. But slow zombies I hate running.
Kinda reminds me of a game, Homeworld: Cataclysm, where there is that bio-mechanical virus that infects everything and transforms its host into itself.
Yea this does make me feel a bit uneasy. I'm sure they take precautions but it's just seems like a matter of time before someone makes something that they wish they hadn't.
Sounds like god-less heathen talk to me.
We can only hope this leads to a zombie invasion. But slow zombies I hate running.
I KNEW all those rounds of Left4Dead would come in handy someday.
Hummm I am thinking Matrix. However I would very disgruntled if every time I touched any electronics I discharged a fair amount of voltage.
You can think of human manipulated virus as nano robots, which are programmed to do a specific task. Same principles of mutation or error in programing code can occur in either case.
You can think of human manipulated virus as nano robots, which are programmed to do a specific task. Same principles of mutation or error in programing code can occur in either case.
Can you say, Cylons??
A virus customized to use a higher concentration of materials than what exists in nature has a significantly lower chance of mutating into anything that could be destructive let alone functional outside its specialized environment compared to a normal virus that constantly reinvents itself to infect hosts and replicate as fast and efficiently as possible.
In general the more specialized they make this virus the lower the chances are for it to be remotely functional outside its special tailored environment.
Not that the zombie comments and theories aren't amusing. I do rather enjoy L4D, RE, etc. myself.
But all those stories are typically based on viruses that were already dangerous to humans and engineered to be weapons-grade effective etc.
Not something that started as harmless and was engineered to work in a non biological setting. It would have a better chance of becoming a "replicator" (stargate) than anything else and adapt to consume other materials besides the metals it was selected for.
Which may cause something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0dYPnui3rM
This kind of tinkering has been going on in other fields for years with MUCH more relevant organisms (mice) than bacterium. Honestly, this is REALLY cool, although I understand why some of you sound a tad nervous. I too, hate running, and hope the zombies are of the slow variety. But having UBER cool batteries in my laptop in a few years also sounds amazing. Now all we need to do is start upgrading the power grid to be able to handle a society run on batteries, instead of our current gasoline driven one...
Yea this does make me feel a bit uneasy. I'm sure they take precautions but it's just seems like a matter of time before someone makes something that they wish they hadn't.
"According to project leader Angela Belcher, the virus used in the battery is a common bacteriophage, which infects bacteria but is harmless to humans."
No need to be uneasy.
Well so far, nothing we can make can match what mother nature has already created. This seems like a brilliant leap in thinking.
...what if the viruses get minds of their own and decide to build robots? Then what, Mr. Genius Scientist? /sarcasm
While this is fascinating news, I do think it would be better if they developed virus-free batteries... unless of course this battery is cleaner than anything else.
I think we're going to see a lot more of that bio-research in the future!
Perhaps we are all going to be living green!
TV not working? Feed some bacteria to it,or hang it on a solar panel!
I always thought they would do this with bacteria or multi cell organisms heck maybe single cell. But never in my mind would i think a virus would be used.
well, i'm gonna start working on that EMP of mine!
i am thinking the creatures in the "Final Fantasy" movie?
I better get my green and red herbs ready
Some first aid spray as well
"Honey, I SWEAR I caught gonorreah from using one of those new laptop batteries, not what you're acusing me of!"
What bothers me is if this becomes commonplace to have batteries made out of virus, you might have some anarchist that figures out how to modify the virus & make it deadly. You would then see terrorists buying up batteries much like the meth lab people buy up cold medicine.
Not a new idea by any stretch of imagination, using genetically modified viri for beneficial effects has been in science fiction for years.
Imagine if this virus could be made to self-replicate. Talk about easy mass-production!
see this
What if the virus mutates and changes the voltage or leaked?
Letting them reproduce unattended pretty much invites a mutation. I'd guess they'd be shipped in a sterile state.