No good layabout viruses finally put to work

[Mindfield]

Researchers build tiny batteries with viruses

See, now this is pretty damn cool. Viruses, which until now have pretty much done nobody any good, are being utilized by MIT researchers to build nanowires in the creation of the anodes and cathodes in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

@MIT News

Specifically, they manipulated the genes in a laboratory strain of a common virus, making the microbes collect exotic materials – cobalt oxide and gold. And because these viruses are negatively charged, they can be layered between oppositely charged polymers to form thin, flexible sheets.

The result? A dense, virus-loaded film that serves as an anode.

A report on the work will appear in the April 7 issue of Science.

[…]

@MIT News

n their research, the MIT team altered the virus’s genes so they make protein coats that collect molecules of cobalt oxide, plus gold. The viruses then align themselves on the polymer surface to form ultrathin wires. Each virus, and thus the wire, is only 6 nanometers (6 billionths of a meter) in diameter, and 880 nanometers in length.

“We can make them in larger diameters,” Belcher said, “but they are all 880 nanometers in length,” which matches the length of the individual virus particles. And, "once we’ve 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.

“For the metal oxide we chose cobalt oxide because it has very good specific capacity, which will produce batteries with high energy density,” meaning it can store two or three times more energy for its size and weight compared to previously used battery electrode materials. And adding the gold further increased the wires’ energy density, she added.

How cool is that? It’s about time those viruses got a damn job instead of wandering about infecting people.

[ParentalAdvisory]

Yeah, but can the viruses play blackjack?

[sturmhauke]

As cool as that is, I have to wonder if the viruses pose any disease threat after they’ve been turned into batteries. Viruses are tricky little bastards after all.