“We have shown that a jar with a bug in it can create potentially useful nanostructures,” said co-discoverer Nosang V. Myung, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Bourns College of Engineering.

Myung and his postdoctoral researcher Bongyoung Yoo were experimenting with the metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella -- they were attempting to remove arsenic contamination.

They were able to identify and characterise the resulting nano-material.

"Each species of Shewanella might have individual implications for manufacturing properties," said Myung.

The nanotubes produced by the bacteria behave as metals with electrical and photoconductive properties.

They could potentially find a home in the nanotech and optical devices of tomorrow.

“Nanotubes are of particular interest in materials science because the useful properties of a substance can be finely tuned according to the diameter and the thickness of the tubes," Myung said.

Current manufacturing methods use large amounts of energy, and involve toxic metals and chemicals.

Myung says that a growing movement in science and engineering is looking for ways to produce semiconductors in more environmentally friendly ways.

"This is just a first step that points the way to future investigation," he said.