nanopillars could reduce much of the risk of transmitting diseases through touching infected surfaces. Antibacterial mechanism There are several models proposed to explain the antibacterial mechanism of the nanopillars. According to the stretching and mechano-inducing model, for a relatively uniform nanotopographies like nanopillars found on cicada wing, the bacteria die due to the rupturing of bacterial cell wall that is suspended between two adjacent nanopillars as opposed to a puncturing mechanism. The nanopillar features like height, density, and sharpness of the nanopillars was found to be affecting the overall antibacterial properties of the nanopillars. However, the relative correlation of nanopillar features is difficult to establish due to several conflicting results in the literature. Alternative antibacterial mechanism of nanopillars include the potential effects of shear force, negative physiological response of bacteria, and intrinsic pressure effects from the interaction between bacterial surface proteins and nanopillars. High resolution molecular analysis Another use of nanopillars is observing cells. Nanopillars capture light so well that when lights hits them, the glow the nanopillars emit dies down at around 150 nanometers. Because this distance is less than the wavelength of light, it allows researchers to observe small objects without the interference of background light. This is especially useful in cellular analysis. The cells group around the nanopillars because of its small size and recognize it as an organelle. The nanopillars simply hold the cells in place while the cells are being observed. History In 2006, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed a cheaper and more efficient way to create nanopillars. They used a combination of nanosphere lithography (a way of organizing the lattice) and reactive ion etching(molding the nanopillars to the right shape) to make large groups of silicon pillars with less than 500 nm diameters. Then, in 2010, researchers fabricated a way to manufacture nanopillars with tapered ends. The former design of a pillar with a flat blunt top reflected much of the light coming onto the pillars. The tapered tops allow light to enter the forest of nanopillars and the wider bottom absorbs almost all of the light that hits it. This design captures about 99% of the light whereas nanorods which have a uniform thickness only captured 85% of the light. After the introduction of tapered ends, researchers started to find many more applications for nanopillars. See also Manufacturing process Constructing nanopillars is a simple but