When we spend so much time fighting the negative aspects of things like viruses, it can be tough to see the positive ones. Researchers at MIT think a virus has a sunny side after all.
Treehugger says,
MIT explains that carbon nanotubes have been found to enhance how efficiently electrons are collected from a solar cell's surface. However, there are problems in making carbon nanotubes work correctly since nanotubes can clump together and reduce effectiveness.
However, a genetically engineered version of virus M13 can control how nanotubes are arranged on a surface and therefore ensure they don't glob together and gum up the works of gathering energy from sunlight. Each virus is able to bond to five to 10 nanotubes and hold them in place, and this structure allows for a more efficient road for electrons to travel along.
By using the virus, the team was able to ramp up efficiency from 8% to 10.6%, or a 32% improvement.
The viruses and nanotubes only make up .1 percent by weight of the entire cell, and the MIT researchers even went on to say that the system could easily become commercially viable and even become as simple as plug-and-play technology with the rest of the solar industry.
Photo: leonelcunha/Flickr
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