Tobacco Virus Could Boost Li Batteries

siliconbits alerts us to the possible use of one of the world's most destructive naturally occurring scourges, the tobacco mosaic virus, to boost the capacity of lithium ion batteries by 10 times. It seems the virus can be made to attach itself to the electrodes in a lithium cell perpendicularly, increasing the surface area of the electrode and greatly improving the battery's capacity to store energy. PhysOrg has some more detail on virus-enhanced batteries. Four years ago we discussed the use of the tobacco mosaic virus to enable fast-switching transistors.

Comments

Re:Scourge?

[Anarki2004]

As an e-cig enthusiast, I will attest that it just isn't the same. With the e-cig, I get the satisfaction of inhaling something and seeing the resulting cloud. I also get my nicotine fix. Sure, nicotine is a poison, but at least all I'm inhaling is nicotine and propylene glycol (or food grade vegetable glycerin); there is no burning or 4000+ chemicals as found in a traditional cigarette. The gum just doesn't do it for most people.