Working on microscopic pipes only a millionth as wide as a single strand of human hair, Johns Hopkins University researchers have engineered a way to ensure that these tiniest of pipes are safe from the tiniest of leaks.
Leak-free piping, made with nanotubes that self-assemble, self-repair, and can connect themselves to different biostructures, is a significant step toward creating a nanotube network that one day might deliver specialized drugs, proteins, and molecules to targeted cells in the human body. The highly precise measurements are outlined today in Science Advances.
Image: Nanopipes, visible as the thin green lines, attach to cells. IMAGE CREDIT: SCHULMAN LAB/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
