British chemists from University College London have produced the world’s thinnest spaghetti from wheat flour. The diameter of the pasta is 372 nanometers, which is 200 times thinner than a human hair. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Nanoscale Advances (NanoAdv).
Experts said the new development is not intended for human consumption but has a wide range of applications in science and industry.
The team used an electrospinning technique in which strands of flour and formic acid are pulled through the tip of an electrically charged needle.
The finished “nano spaghetti” formed a layer of nanofibers about 2 cm in diameter, so it can be seen. But each strand was too narrow to be captured clearly with a visible-light camera or microscope. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate fiber width.
Starch nanofibers, produced by most green plants to store excess glucose, can be used in dressings for wound healing (because nanofiber mats are very porous, allowing water and moisture to pass through but not bacteria), as a scaffold for bone regeneration, and scientists have suggested drug delivery. for.
Chemists used to be was created new reliable adhesives using ordinary table salt.