They used a flour and “formic acid” mixture pulled through an electrical charge - making spaghetti but “much smaller”. The acid dissolves the complex structures that make up starch molecules to form thin fibers, it then evaporates as the noodles stream out to a metal plate used in the electrospinning process. Then, the researchers also had to warm up the mixture for several hours and slowly cool it down to the correct consistency.
Traditionally, starch nanofibers are acquired through the extraction of starch from plant cells- a method that requires a lot of water and energy. “Electrospinning” is a technique that uses electrical currents to develop extremely thin fibers and the flour used is just regular cooking flour found in a supermarket.
“Purifying starch requires a lot of processing. We’ve shown that a simpler way to make nanofibers using flour is possible. The next step would be to investigate the properties of this product” says Adam Clancy, a co-author of the study.
Each strand of the nanopaste is so thin that it cannot be captivated by the human eye, it can only be measured with a scanning electron microscope. At 372 nanometers, it’s even narrower than some wavelengths of light. The creation would overcook in under a second before it’s even removed from the pan making it inedible but revolutionary in the medical field.
It is hoped to be used as a substitute for wound dressings due to how porous they are; it hopes to be a scaffold to regrow tissue as they can mimic the proteins and other molecules that cells build to support themselves. Starch is a promising material to use due to its abundance (being the second largest source of biomass on Earth behind cellulose) and it is biodegradable meaning it could be a huge step forward for a green earth and the medical industry.