Self-assembly of virus-structured high surface area nanomaterials and their application as battery electrodes.
High area nickel and cobalt surfaces were assembled using modified Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) templates. Rod-shaped TMV templates (300 x 18 nm) engineered to encode unique cysteine residues were self-assembled onto gold patterned surfaces in a vertically oriented fashion, producing a >10-fold increase in surface area. Electroless deposition of ionic metals onto surface-assembled virus templates produced uniform metal coatings up to 40 nm in thickness. Within a nickel-zinc battery system, the incorporation of virus-assembled electrode surfaces more than doubled the total electrode capacity. When combined, these findings demonstrate that surface-assembled virus templates provide a robust platform for the fabrication of oriented high surface area materials.
D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D003035:Cobalt; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004566:Electrodes; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008958:Models, Molecular; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D009532:Nickel; D015202:Protein Engineering; D014027:Tobacco Mosaic Virus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D003035:Cobalt; D009532:Nickel