A group of researchers fromUniversity College London he made what were nicknamed “the thinnest spaghetti in the world“. These nanospaghetti are much thinner than typical Sardinian pasta on filindeu (threads of God), but they cannot be eaten – also because it would take less than a second to cook them in boiling water. The obtained nanospaghetti are organized in a porous network, where the average diameter is approximately 372 nanometers (millionths of a millimeter) and are made with Flour And formic acid. They are not edible but they are biocompatible and have possible applications in the medical field.
How are nanospaghetti made?
The making of these tiny “starch threads” begins with a very common ingredient: la Flour. This is dissolved in formic acid (CH2OR2) hot to obtain a thick and viscous solution. The acid does not simply dissolve the flour, but acts chemically on its components, breaking the starch molecules and modifying their structure to make them more flexible. The solution is then subjected to a technique called electrospinning: This process uses an electric field to extrude the solution towards a substrate, where they form very thin fibres which intertwine forming a porous skein.
Once dried, the fibers take on a stable shape and are ready to be used. The result is an incredibly thin material – with an average diameter of approx 372 nanometers – but also resistant, biodegradable and ecological.
What are nanospaghetti for?
The applications of nanospaghetti are mainly in the field of biomedicine, in fact their thin and porous structure makes them ideal for creating advanced bandages which promote wound healing, or to deliver drugs in a targeted manner. Furthermore, they can be used as “scaffolds” for bone regeneration, offering support to cells during the growth process.
Even in the technological field, nanospaghetti have great potential. Theirs resistence And conductivity make them perfect for use in electronic devices, such as supercapacitor electrodes. Thanks to their ability to filter microscopic particles, they can also be used in advanced filtration systems. There biodegradability and the natural base of the material make them a sustainable choice to replace synthetic materials, reducing environmental impact in sectors such as electronics or industrial manufacturing.
Flour nanospaghetti vs. Starch nanospaghetti: what changes?
In previous studies, starch threads were produced from purification of the starch itself through complex chemical processes and with polluting chemical agents. To avoid the use of such chemical agents, it was chosen to follow a more “classic” manufacturing method, starting from common flour. Unlike starch, flour also contains proteins and other compounds that complicate the manufacturing process. This complexity, however, translates into significant advantages: the gluten present in the flour makes nanospaghetti more resistant and flexiblewhile using a raw material such as flour makes them cheaper and more sustainable.
