Peter Majewski and Chiu Ping Chan of the Ian Wark Research Institute at the University of South Australia said nanotechnology-based water purification can remove chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and other hazardous materials from water much more effectively and at lower cost than conventional methods.

Majewski and Chan said current water purification technology is often complicated, requiring sophisticated equipment and a final costly disinfection stage. The Australian scientists suggest nanotechnology could provide a simple answer to the problem.

The researchers said silica particles can be easily coated with a nanometer-thin layer of active material based on a hydrocarbon with a silicon-containing anchor. The active particles were tested to determine if they could remove biological molecules.

"The results clearly show organic species can efficiently be removed at pH ranges of drinking water by stirring the coated particles in the contaminated water … and filtering the powder," the researchers said. The filtration process, they said, occurs through an electrostatic attraction between the pathogens and the surface engineered particles.

The research appears in the International Journal of Nanotechnology.