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Nanomaterials such as nanowires and nanopillars have been shown to interact strongly with biological cells. Such 1D nanomaterials can enable the penetration of cell membrane by electroporation which is useful in the area of molecular biology to deliver polar substances into cells. Here we introduce a new application, water disinfection, enabled by 1D nanomaterial-assisted electroporation. The high electric field induced by the sharp 1D nanomaterials can be used to damage the membrane of the microorganisms and inactivate the microorganisms by disrupting the inner cellular environment. The 1D nanowires can enhance the local electric field 2-3 orders of magnitudes higher than that of planer structure. Using flow devices with filter electrodes made from silver nanowires or copper oxide nanowires, we demonstrate a high efficiency inactivation of both model bacteria and virus, of > 6log (>99.9999%) removal, with a fast treatment speed of 3000-15000 L/h-m2, which is equivalent to only 1s of contact time of microorganism with filter electrodes. During operation, the flow device can be powered by a small voltage < 20V and the energy consumption was very low of only
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