A team of UK chemists at University College London (UCL) has crafted the world’s thinnest spaghetti, a groundbreaking creation 200 times thinner than a human hair and narrower than some wavelengths of light. The innovation, detailed in the journal Nanoscale Advances, shatters the previous record for the thinnest pasta by a factor of a thousand.
Each strand of this ultra-fine pasta, made from nanofibres, is so tiny that it cannot be captured by visible light cameras or microscopes. Instead, researchers used a scanning electron microscope, which relies on deflected electrons to create high-resolution images of the pasta’s intricate structure.
This spaghetti isn’t meant for culinary use it overcooks in less than a second. Instead, it was developed using electrospinning, a technique that creates nanofibres by pulling a flour mixture with an electrical charge.
The flour was mixed with formic acid, which breaks down the starch’s spiral-like helices, and the blend was carefully heated and cooled to ensure the ideal consistency. The resulting nanofibres measure just 372 nanometres (billionths of a metre) in diameter.
“We essentially made spaghetti, but much smaller,” said Dr. Adam Clancy, co-author of the study.
Nanofibre Potential in Medicine and Technology
The researchers believe the hydrophilic nanofibres, derived from starch, hold significant promise in the medical field. Potential applications include:
•Next-generation wound dressings Nanofibres are porous and could be used to create advanced bandages.
•Tissue scaffolding they mimic the extracellular matrix, a protein network that supports cell growth, making them ideal for regrowing tissue.
•Carbonised supercapacitors Nanofibres could serve as greener, biodegradable alternatives for energy storage components.
“Nanofibres, like those made of starch, could revolutionize areas such as wound care and regenerative medicine,” explained co-author Professor Gareth Williams.
A Step Towards Greener Nanotechnology
The team’s use of starch-based nanofibres aligns with sustainability goals, offering a cost-effective, eco-friendly replacement for synthetic materials in various applications.
This breakthrough highlights the unexpected intersections of culinary inspiration and cutting-edge nanotechnology, opening doors to advancements in both medicine and materials science.
