Since people want to help clean up the environment we developed cleaner gas sources, when that wasn't good enough we invented the electric car. Electric cars are great for the environment, but they can only go so far before you have to charge them again. To address this problem people have been trying to develop a lithium-air battery which will hold a charge longer and be able to better handle the constant charging and discharging the an electric car battery would undergo. The project is showing promise, but researchers are still trying to discover a way to find a way to better the materials used to make the battery to undergo such a workload. Well researchers at MIT may have found something to help with this material issue in the form of modified viruses.
The researchers used the genetically modified M13 virus to aid in the process of making nanowire structures. These nanowire structures aren't smooth but are made up of tiny spikes which help increase the surface area allowing the battery to have more sites for electrochemical reactions to take place. Not only do these virus provide a better nanowire structure for the battery's cathodes, but they are safer to develop than using chemicals to develop the nanowire. I wonder if when these researchers get more information on this technique if it would be to use in a much larger scale? Perhaps they can help power small cities one day. What do you think?
Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131113125831.htm
This is great. After all the media attention surrounding the 400 ppm of carbon, I've started to realize how important it is that we find alternative energy sources.
ReplyDeleteIt's not often that you hear about viruses being a good thing... This is another breakthrough that will be interesting to hear about in the future similar to when electric cars were first released!
ReplyDeleteWow, who would have thought that a virus can be used at this level to aid in the process of developing a battery. So odd but kool.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of a virus that has could be actually beneficial for us. Not in this way actually. Yea, IT IS TIME to find the alternative for gas. It is harming our environment plus the cost is high.
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