Shampoo Bottle Nano-Makeover: Good to the Last Drop

Have you ever went to wash your hair, only to find that your can't quite squeeze the last of your shampoo from the bottle? The left over shampoo isn't only a problem for your dirty hair...it also causes a pretty serious environmental problems. According to Bharat Bhushan at Ohio State University, the leftover shampoo releases harsh chemicals into the environment when thrown away. Bhushan and his colleagues have embedded nanoparticles made from inexpensive silica into the plastic which makes shampoo bottles to help solve this problem. The nanoparticles make the surface of the bottle slippery and make is easy for the shampoo to be squeezed out.  

This technology could be applied outside of the shower, according to Bhushan. Since bacteria cannot cling to the plastic, the liquid-repellent characteristic of the nanoparticles could help make sterile surfaces for food packaging, medical surfaces, and more!