Unique Battery Anode Material Produced by Bacteria Found

June 12, 2014

The research group from Okayama University, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Kyoto University has shown that iron oxide nanoparticles (Fig.1 (b)) produced by bacteria in groundwater has a potential to be used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The nanoparticles are formed into nanotubes by some bacteria (Fig. 1 (a)).

The findings were published on April 1, 2014 in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

J. Takada, H. Hashimoto, and their colleagues have discovered that amorphous iron oxide nanoparticles produced by Leptothrix ochracea show potential as a very efficient anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, they have revealed that the presence of minor components, silicon (Si) and phosphorus (P), in the original nanoparticles leads to specific electrode architecture, with iron (Fe)-based electrochemical centers embedded in a silicon and phosphorus-based amorphous matrix..


　　　　　　　　　　Fig 1

These bacteria could produce additional unique materials with iron oxide such as the ones shown above under various culture conditions. These materials are expected to be better battery anode materials for the next generation.

This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan, and by the Japan Science and Technology Agency.


Contact Information:
Mototaka Senda, Ph.D.
US Representative
Intellectual Property Office, Organization for Research Promotion and Collaboration, Okayama University
Fremont, California USA
TEL: 1-510-797-0907
Email: [email protected]


Jun Takada, Ph.D.
Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama Japan