Virus-Templated Nickel Phosphide Nanofoams as Additive-Free, Thin-Film Li-Ion Microbattery Anodes.

Transition metal phosphides are a new class of materials generating interest as alternative negative electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. However, metal phosphide syntheses remain underdeveloped in terms of simultaneous control over phase composition and 3D nanostructure. Herein, M13 bacteriophage is employed as a biological scaffold to develop 3D nickel phosphide nanofoams with control over a range of phase compositions and structural elements.

Highly adjustable 3D nano-architectures and chemistries via assembled 1D biological templates.

Porous metal nanofoams have made significant contributions to a diverse set of technologies from separation and filtration to aerospace. Nonetheless, finer control over nano and microscale features must be gained to reach the full potential of these materials in energy storage, catalytic, and sensing applications. As biologics naturally occur and assemble into nano and micro architectures, templating on assembled biological materials enables nanoscale architectural control without the limited chemical scope or specialized equipment inherent to alternative synthetic techniques.