Charged virus

“The source of energy for miniature electronic devices of the future can be microbacteria, which are half the size of a single human cell,” say experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. American scientists under the leadership of Angela Belcher, combining the artificially created virus M13 and cobalt oxide, got the world's smallest battery.


Dr. Angela Belcher

Theoretically, the field of application of the technology is enormous - it can be used both in high-powered portable computers and in medical devices implanted in a patient. The first "viral" battery was created by the group back in 2006, but the accumulated energy could not be used then.
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Today, the reality is that ordinary chemical batteries are already losing “viral”, which, by the roughest calculations, are twice as effective. Nine months ago, Angela Belcher inserted such a battery into the laser pointer (and the scientist uses her device, of course, regularly uses this device) and now, of course, after several recharges, everything works fine.

The potential of the discovery of Dr. Belcher is difficult even to imagine, but in practice it can be applied only in the field of nanotechnology. Researchers do not despair, because in a couple of years if “viral” batteries organically fit into the medical industry, which is a priority for American specialists, then after 10 years, the emergence of whole vehicles autonomously provided with the M13 virus is possible. The benefit of the developers have already learned how to apply the "composition" on any conductive surface.

Translation For magov.net - Cyril Levin