During an early phase of my scientific career I worked in a laboratory as a research virologist.  Despite having a fairly good knowledge of the principles of virology, I had never expected that viruses would allow better electric batteries to be built.  A recent paper in the journal Science shows how used of genetically engineered viruses can improve the microstructure of a battery and enhance its power output.  The story in brief is this:

Lithium-ion batteries are preferred for electric vehicles.  The battery electrodes store and release electrical energy by insertion and extraction of Lithium ions and electrons through the electrode materials.   Increasing transport of Lithium ions and electrons in electrodes can enhance energy storage at high charge and discharge rates. Controlling nanostructure has become a critical process in developing electrode materials to boost transport in composite electrodes.  This latest research has shown that the M13 bacterial virus can be used for battery device fabrication with improved performance by synthesizing electrochemically active anode nanowires and organizing the virus on a polymer surface. Multifunctional viruses have been genetically engineered with desired modifications on different positions of the protein coat to provide a versatile scaffold for the synthesis and assembly of materials for high-power batteries.

Batteries based on genetically engineered viruses are doubtless a long way from everyday practical viability.   The point, however, is that there is enormous scientific, technological and commercial interest in creating better batteries, for computers as well as for cars.   It is not clear what the limits to battery performance may be, in terms of storage energy density or rate of charging.  So the research dividend from innovative approaches to battery design and fabrication could be enormous.