A domestic research team has developed a more advanced lithium ion battery through genetic engineering.

The team on Friday said it produced battery electrodes by transforming proteins on the surface of viruses into nanowires and then lining them up to store electrical power.

A single nanowire is a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair.

A researcher said the nanowires allow the storage of up to two to three times more power than that retained by carbon electrodes used in regular lithium ion batteries.

The team was comprised of bioengineering doctoral candidate Nam Ki-tae of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and chief researcher Kim Dong-wan of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology.

The team’s research was published on the latest online edition of Science magazine.