Dr Walid Daoud
A team of researchers from Australia and China might just have the
solution to the Georgia Tech team’s problem of washing their
electricity-producing cloth: A form of wool and silk which uses
nanotechnology to clean itself when exposed to sunlight..
In
a study scheduled for publication in the journal Chemistry of
Materials, Dr Walid Daoud of Monash University in Australia, and
colleagues have stated that wool socks, skirts and silk ties may soon
be cleaning themselves of smells and stains when exposed to sunshine.
The secret behind this is a nano-particle coating – already used to
keep windows clear.
For this study, the researchers prepared
wool fabrics with and without a nanoparticle coating – particles around
five nanometres across – 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. When triggered by light, it decomposes dirt, stains,
microorganisms and so on,” Daoud said.
Later, the fabric samples
were stained with red wine and it was found that after 20 hours of
exposure to simulated sunlight, the coated fabric did not show any
signs of the red stain. On the other hand, the untreated fabric
remained deeply stained.
The researchers said that the coating,
which is non-toxic, can be permanently merged to the fibre and does not
alter its texture and feel, thus retaining the silkiness of the silk
tie.
“Self-cleaning technology can also help in reducing the
consumption of chemicals, such as detergents and dry-cleaning solvents,
water, and energy,” Daoud said. “I believe it will become a standard
feature of future textile and materials.”
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