By IANS,
Washington : A new low cost filtering system kills up to 98 percent of deadly bacteria like E. coli in water within seconds.
Most water purifiers work by trapping bacteria in tiny pores of filter material. Pushing water through these filters requires electric pumps and consumes much energy, Yi Cui and his team at Stanford University who did the research explained.
Besides, the filters can get clogged and must be changed periodically, reports Nano Letters.
The new material, however, has relatively larger pores which allow water to flow through easily. And it kills bacteria outright, rather than just trapping them, according to a Stanford University statement.
The scientists knew that contact with silver and electricity destroys bacteria, and decided to combine the two approaches.
They inserted sub-microscopic silver nanowires in cotton, and then added a coating of carbon nanotubes, which gave the filter extra electrical conductivity.
The material was then tested on E. coli-contaminated water. Results showed that the silver/electrified cotton killed up to 98 percent of the bacteria.