The classic paper towels you used for cleaning your keyboard after spilling Coke on it are very close to being replaced by something far more advanced and efficient. These Nanomesh Paper Towels can absorb up to 20 times their weight, and so far, they are only made for oil stains.
The recyclable nanomesh towel created at MIT uses potassium manganese oxide fibers and can be cleaned up (and the oil recovered) and re-used. They look and feel like a regular paper towel, but they only collect oil, leaving every drop of water behind.
Scientists are already thinking of using them in water filtration, and they have a great advantage in the cheap production costs and, unlike many nanomaterials, the possibility of fabrication in large quantities.
