Imagine a thin, paper-like generator embedded in the sole of a shoe. When you walk, the phone on your body will charge. That's good. According to a report from the American Physicist Organization Network on May 14 (Beijing time), scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have used a virus that is harmless to humans to develop technologies that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. The research results were published on the online version of "Nature Nanotechnology" on May 13th.
The new generation technology uses the piezoelectric properties of biomaterials to generate electricity. The researchers painted a specially designed virus on the electrodes and tapped the stamp-sized electrodes with their fingers. The virus then converted the power of the stroke into electricity. Since the virus itself can enter an ordered membrane to drive the generator, the new generator points out a simple idea for making microelectronic devices. The researchers said that for the first time, the new technology has taken a promising step toward personal generators, the use of drivers in nanodevices, and electronic devices based on filterable germs.
In the laboratory, the researchers used the virus-friendly M13 bacteriophage that only attacks bacteria and can replicate several million in a few hours, so it is stable in supply. These baculoviruses can naturally be oriented in the film and align like chopsticks in the box. This is what scientists look for in nanostructures.
The researchers increased the piezoelectric strength of the virus in the study and used genetic engineering to add four negatively charged amino acid residues to the helix protein and overlay it on the virus. These residues increase the difference in charge between the two ends of the protein, thereby increasing the voltage of the virus. The study also found that about 20 thick layers have the strongest piezoelectric effect.
They also assembled prototypes of virus-based piezoelectric energy generators. They managed to make the genetically engineered virus spontaneously organized into a multilayer film about one square centimeter, and then sandwiched the film between two gold-plated electrodes and connected it to the LCD through wires. When pressure is applied to the virus, the generator can generate up to 6 nanoamperes of current and 400 millivolts of voltage. Sufficient current causes the digit “1†to flash on the screen, which is equivalent to about 1/4 of the voltage of a 3A battery.
The researchers said they will improve the principles in the prototype. As biotechnology tools can produce large-scale transgenic viruses, the future of virus-based piezoelectric materials can provide a simple path for new microelectronics technology. (Reporter Hualing)
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