Inside water pipes, in due course of time bacteria build up and attract other organic matter, creating a biofilm that slowly builds up over time and clogg the flow. To prevent this, engineers at Duke University have found that buckyballs can hinder the ability of bacteria and other microorganisms to accumulating inside pipes. Similarly bacterial accumulation on the membranes used to filter water in treatment plants can also be drastically reduced using buckyballs. Pipes and membranes cab be coated with these nanoparticles to avoid biofilm formation and this may prove to be an effective strategy for addressing one of the major problems and costs of treating water.