Scientists Generate Electricity From Viruses, Step Toward Motion-Powered Gadgets

Posted on June 19, 2012

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The breakthrough could lead to devices that harvest energy from the vibration of everyday tasks, such as walking or closing a door.

The scientists say, "Imagine charging your phone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator embedded in the sole of your shoe. This futuristic scenario is now a little closer to reality."

Seung-Wuk Lee, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab's Physical Biosciences Division and a UC Berkeley associate professor of bioengineering, says, "More research is needed, but our work is a promising first step toward the development of personal power generators, actuators for use in nano-devices, and other devices based on viral electronics."

The researchers fabricated a generator that produces enough current to operate a small liquid-crystal display - about a quarter the voltage of a triple A battery. It works by tapping a finger on a postage stamp-sized electrode coated with specially engineered viruses. The viruses convert the force of the tap into an electric charge. The generator is the first to produce electricity by harnessing the piezoelectric properties of a biological material. CNET reports that the researchers believe they can scale up the viral-electric technology.

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The research was published here in Nature Nanotechnology.

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