Batteries, built by viruses, could someday be sprayed onto military uniforms as wearable power sources.
Teams of researchers, one from MIT, one from the University of Maryland, have used two different viruses to create the cathode and anode for a lithium ion battery.
If the Maryland research pans out, the parts for lithium ion batteries could be grown in and harvested from tobacco plants. If the MIT research pans out, lithium ion batteries could be woven into clothing to power a wide range of electronic devices, from unmanned aerial vehicles to cell phones.
"Typical soldiers have to carry several pounds of batteries. But if you could turn their clothing into a battery pack, they could drop a lot of weight," said Mark Allen, a postdoc in Angela Belcher's lab at MIT. "The same could be true for frequent business travelers, the road warriors."
As anyone with a bad case of the flu knows, viruses are amazingly efficient at breaking into cells, hijacking their machinery, and then using that machinery to make new copies of themselves.
For centuries doctors have done everything in their power to stop or slow viruses. Now scientists are turning viruses' extraordinary ability to produce large amounts of identical, microscopic structures to the benefit of humanity.
Scientists can already build similar structures, but not as quickly or as efficiently as viruses.
When it comes on line as a viable product it'll be a solution\ option.
