By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Lithium-ion batteries have become the most common rechargeable batteries for consumer electronics, such as laptops and mobile phones, and are also seeing growing demand in next-generation vehicles such as electronic and hybrid cars.
So the race in the technology sector is to make the batteries pack a stronger electronic punch, and a team of multinational scientists now suggest that biological help might provide a lucrative solution.
In a study published in peer-review journal Science, researchers led by Lee Yoon-jeong and Lee Hyeon-jeong of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Kang Ki-suk of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) claimed that a certain type of virus, M13, could be used for producing nano-structured electrodes that give the batteries more power.
M13 is a commonly found bacteriophage that is about 1 micrometer long, 10 nanometers in diameter and encapsulated by the major coat protein P8, and has been studied for uses in nanostructures and nanotechnology.
The researchers manipulated the genes of the virus to create cathode materials, which were then attached to carbon nanotubes that were used to produce lithium-ion batteries that easily overpower existing models. According to the tests described in the Science paper, the output of the M13 batteries were nearly 10 times stronger than conventional lithium-ion batteries used today.
In lithium-ion batteries, lithium ions move between the battery's anode and cathode, with the high energy density producing the required voltage for electronic products.
To put it roughly, high-powered cathode materials are required for producing batteries with stronger jolts, while high-capacity anode materials are needed to make batteries with longer lives.
Producing virus-enabled electrodes for lithium-ion batteries have not be an unfamiliar subject, a concept first suggested by researchers led by MIT's Angela Belcher in a 2006 study published in Science.
Although the study suggested a way to produce cobalt oxide, a popular material for anodes, from certain types of viruses, producing effective cathode materials posed another challenge.
During current research, Lee and her colleagues manipulated the genes of the M13 viruses to show an affinity for carbon nanotubes on one end and for anode materials, based on amorphous iron-phosphate, on the other.
Amorphous iron-phosphate anodes had been lauded for their stability, but lamented for their low power output. However, the recent study shows that carbon nanotubes could provide a solution for higher power by speeding the movements of ions.
``The study was a result of synergy between nanotechnology, biotechnology and energy technology,'' Kang said.