Around the world, private institutes and university labs are working on nanofiber developments that could shape our future. One example is nano-based mosquito netting infused with insecticide. This application has been developed by graduate students at Cornell University's Textiles Nanotechnology Laboratory and shows promise fighting malaria, a leading killer in some developing countries. This has not yet being commercialized. Nanofibers that convert body heat or heat from a cell phone into electricity are also on the horizon. Earlier this year, Wake Forest University announced the development of a product they call Power Felt. This is a flexible fabric thermoelectric device made from carbon nano-tubes and plastic fibers that coverts cell phone heat into an electric current capable of recharging a phone. Discussions are currently under way with a variety of potential manufacturers, says David Carroll, the professor who led the team that invented Power Felt.
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