Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) scientists are working on the bio batteries in a collaborative project with Touchlight Genetics, the Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) from the US Department of Defense, and the University of Utah.
Dstl’s synthetic biology lead Petra Oyston explained: “The current battery technology that our soldiers are using is containing a lot of energy in chemical format, and if that battery gets shot for example it’s going to explode and burst into flames.
“Our bio-battery is made out of DNA, enzymes, lactate and water. If you shot it it would just go splat, so there’s a significant safety benefit.”
The concept behind the batteries is to degrade a naturally occurring product such as lactate, using enzymes bound to a DNA structural scaffold. The cascade process releases electrons, which are then captured and can be used as power.
Lactate is an organic molecule produced by human and animal cells.
Touchlight Genetics...