Researchers at University College London have developed spaghetti thinnest in the world, made with starch nanofibres just 372 nanometers wide, a size smaller than some wavelengths of light and invisible to the naked eye. This innovation was published in the magazine Nanoscale Advances.
Although the idea of ultra-thin spaghetti may seem curious (after all, they would be impossible to eat, overcooking in less than a second), the use of starch nanofibers has significant potential medical applications. For example, they could be used in advanced bandages to promote wound healing, offering protection against bacteria whilst allowing moisture to pass through. The researchers adopted an electrospinning process, a technique that uses an electric charge to pull a mixture of flour and liquid through microscopic metal holes, forming nanometer-sized threads.
Currently, the technology requires further study before it can find practical application in the medical field, but it represents a step forward towards the sustainable production of starch nanofibres. This method could indeed significantly reduce the environmental impact compared to conventional processes of refining starch from plant cells. The research promises to open new frontiers in the use of biocompatible materials to improve the care and protection of wounds, exploiting easily available and technically transformable materials such as simple kitchen flour.
The nanotechnology in the medical field it is therefore opening new and fascinating frontiers. A recent example is the development of starch nanofibrescreated by programming molecules with extreme precision to obtain incredibly thin filaments, useful not only in the medical field but also in other industrial and environmental applications.
The electrospinning method, the technique described in the initial text, has significantly improved the production efficiency of nanofibers. This technique refers to the broader concept of nanotechnologies applied to matteran industry that continues to explore innovative ways to manipulate and build materials at the atomic and molecular scales.
The history of nanotechnology is relatively young, with significant developments starting in the 1980s. For example, the focus of nanotechnology research was, and in many cases continues to be, the creation of materials with new properties, obtained by manipulating atoms one by one.
In the medical field, nanotechnologies are proposed not only for the creation of new drugs or surgical techniques, but also for the production of advanced materials, such as bandages with starch nanofibres. The latter represent an eco-friendly and efficient solution for wound care, demonstrating how technology can harmonize scientific progress and attention to the environment.
Source: www.tomshw.it
