Tropes

futurity_sci_tech 01080.txt

#Nano web trips up bed bugs Stony Brook University Posted by James Montalto-Stony Brook on May 31 2013stony BROOK (US)# A new non-chemical solution literally stops bed bugs in their tracks. The web consists of microfibers 50 times thinner than a human hair which entangle and trap bed bugs and other insects.##Our nanotechnology produces entanglements that are millions of times more dense than woven products such as fabrics or carpets#says lead researcher Miriam Rafailovich professor of materials science and engineering and co-director in the program of chemical and molecular engineering at Stony Brook University. Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small flat parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. They are reddish-brown in color wingless range from one millimeter (mm) to seven mm (roughly the size of Lincoln#s head on a penny) and can live several months without a blood meal.##The microfibers trap them by attaching to microstructures on their legs taking away their ability to move which stops them from feeding and reproducing#Rafailovich says. Successful tests were performed using live bed bugs and termites in Rafailovich#s lab with the assistance of Ying Liu a scientist with the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center and graduate students Shan He and Linxi Zhang. The microfibers are safe for humans and pets and unlike chemical treatments insects can#t develop a resistance to it. The patent-pending technology is being commercialized by Fibertrap a private company that employs nontoxic pest control methods. Source: Stony Brook Universityyou are free to share this article under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noderivs 3. 0 Unported license

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