Updates: Whatever Happened to Self-Cleaning Clothes?
Self-Cleaning Clothes -- Titan's Ocean? -- Synthetic Success -- Crisis Mapping
June, 2008, By Philip Yam
Good-bye, Laundry
Talk of clothing that keeps itself clean, or that at least does not need conventional washing, has percolated for decades. Manufacturers have expressed interest in the technologies underlying such garments, but so far the only advance available commercially is clothing treated with nanoparticles that change the natural characteristics of the fabric to keep stains from soaking into it. That makes dirt easier to wash away. The technology, created by textile company Nano-Tex in 2001, appears in clothing today by retailers Eddie Bauer, Gap and Hugo Boss, to name a few.June, 2008, By Philip Yam
Perhaps the most serious customer for self-cleaning clothing right now, though, is not the average mall shopper but U.S. military personnel, who might face long stretches between clothing changes. Chemist Jeff Owens is working with others at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on a process that fuses chemicals onto fabric, resulting in material that resists fire, oil and water and that also kills bacteria. Owens s team is aiming to have the technology ready for preliminary demonstrations in 2009.
Despite today s limited market, the quest for self-cleaning clothing with the potential for broader use continues.
Researchers at Monash University in Australia have found a way to coat keratin protein fibers, such as wool, hemp and silk, with titanium dioxide nanocrystals that oxidize food and dirt in sunlight. According to lead researcher Walid Daoud, the process, outlined in the February 26 Chemistry of Materials, does not employ toxic reagents and is harmless to skin. The drawback: speed, or lack thereof. It takes 20 hours in the sun for a wine stain to disappear.
