Researchers from Stanford University have developed a new method to purify water. By using a cotton cloth dipped in a solution containing silver nanowires and carbon nanotubes, they were able to kill bacteria with an electrical field and allow the purified water to pass through to the other side. Unlike other filtration systems that only trap the bacteria, this new system, which only requires minimal electricity to operate, eliminates over 98 percent of water impurities and filters faster than conventional purification systems.

The above is a microscopic image of silver nanowires in which the cotton cloth is dipped for filtering.

Press Release

Stanford University

[via Treehugger]