Virus-based pyroelectricity: engineered M13 phage generates an electrical potential from heat

University of California, Berkeley researchers report the first observation of heat-induced electrical potential generation on a virus, studying the pyroelectric properties of the M13 phage. Modifying the pVIII coat protein with different numbers of glutamate residues tuned the effect, with the most polarized phage reaching a pyroelectric coefficient of 0.13 µC m-2 °C-1; the authors see potential in biosensors and bioelectric materials.