Ayman Helweh
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 Self-cleaning Fabrics Great news for us clumsy/ lazy people and for the environment as well. With the help of nanotechnology, self cleaning forms of wool and silk have been developed. The technology used is a nano particle coating, similar to the one already used to keep windows clear, that could lead to “self-cleaning” versions of wool and silk fabrics. The coating, which is non-toxic, can be permanently bonded to the fibre and does not alter its texture and feel. Besides the convenience and usefulness, this is also a wonderful environmental advance, as self-cleaning technology will help in reducing the consumption of chemicals, such as detergents and dry-cleaning solvents, water, and energy.
 In the new study, scheduled for publication in the journal Chemistry of Materials, Dr Walid Daoud of Monash University, Victoria, Australia, and colleagues prepared wool fabrics with and without a nanoparticle coating - particles around five nanometres across (five billionths of a metre) composed of anatase titanium dioxide, a substance already used as a pigment that is known to break down and destroy contaminants upon exposure to sunlight. "The self-cleaning technology in our work uses titanium dioxide photocatalyst that when triggered by light, it decomposes dirt, stains, harmful microorganisms and so on," says Dr Daoud.
(telegraph)References: telegraph Comment: on Textile Nanotechnology Breakthrough |
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