Virus-directed design of a flexible BaTiO3 nanogenerator.
Biotemplated synthesis of functional nanomaterials has received increasing attention for applications in energy, catalysis, bioimaging, and other technologies. This approach is justified by the unique abilities of biological systems to guide sophisticated assembly and organization of molecules and materials into distinctive nanoscale morphologies that exhibit physicochemical properties highly desirable for specific purposes. Here, we present a high-performance, flexible nanogenerator using anisotropic BaTiO3 (BTO) nanocrystals synthesized on an M13 viral template through the genetically programmed self-assembly of metal ion precursors. The filamentous viral template realizes the formation of a highly entangled, well-dispersed network of anisotropic BTO nanostructures with high crystallinity and piezoelectricity. Even without the use of additional structural stabilizers, our virus-enabled flexible nanogenerator exhibits a high electrical output up to ∼300 nA and ∼6 V, indicating the importance of nanoscale structures for device performances. This study shows the biotemplating approach as a facile method to design and fabricate nanoscale materials particularly suitable for flexible energy harvesting applications.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and ‡Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) , 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea.
Chang Kyu
CK
Jeong
Insu
I
Kim
Kwi-Il
KI
Park
Mi Hwa
MH
Oh
Haemin
H
Paik
Geon-Tae
GT
Hwang
Kwangsoo
K
No
Yoon Sung
YS
Nam
Keon Jae
KJ
Lee
D016880:Anisotropy; D017104:Bacteriophage M13 / Q000378:metabolism; D001464:Barium / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry; D008024:Ligands; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D014780:Viruses / Q000737:chemistry*
D002614:Chelating Agents; D008024:Ligands; D008670:Metals; D010710:Phosphates; D012997:Solvents; C009495:titanium dioxide; D001464:Barium; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D014025:Titanium; D007501:Iron