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Clothes That Clean Themselves May Soon Be On The Market
Lauri Kubuitsile
1/9/2007 7:28:48 PM (GMT +2)

Imagine having clothes that clean themselves. Clothes that cannot get dirty and cannot get wet either, and to make the deal even sweeter, they kill germs so they will not stink and can even protect you against disease. Sound like something out of a science fiction book? Well it's not. Nanoparticle technology has made the possibility of the common place use of such "smart" fabrics closer than you think with a London based company, Alexium, claiming that within a year they will have sportswear in the shops made from such material.

Nanoparticles are particles slightly larger than atoms or molecules. Materials at nanoparticle size often behave in ways that they do not at larger sizes. This change in behavior makes them useful to scientists. According to Wikipedia, "Nanoparticle research is currently an area of intense scientific research, due to a wide variety of potential applications in biomedical, optical and electronic fields." The commercial benefits of this research will soon be felt in our own wardrobes.

The technology Alexium has bought the license to use was developed by the United States Military at a cost of $20 million and took more than five years to develop. The process involves the use of microwaves to apply a nanoparticle film to the fabric. The film has tiny, microscopic hooks that allow other chemicals, which cannot be applied directly to the fabric, to attach. These other chemicals give the fabric its unique properties that makes it water repellant, stain resistant and anti-microbe.

Already, the US Air force has produced T-shirts and underwear for soldiers made from the fabric. Clothes made from such fabric can be worn for weeks without ever getting dirty or smelly. According to an article in the Sunday Telegraph, Jeff Owens, one of the scientists working on the project for the US Military, said that initially they were looking to develop a fabric to make uniforms that could kill bacteria, such as anthrax, which are used in biological warfare. Also, during the first war in Iraq, Owens says that more soldiers were lost from bacterial infections than from artillery or accidents. They wanted to solve this problem. Uniforms made from this treated fabric would not only kill bacteria that land on them, but could also cure any bacterial infections the wearer might already have on their skin.

People are a buzz about the potential commercial applications of the fabric. Uses in a hospital, for example, are myriad, from staff uniforms to bed linen. It could have a serious impact on the spread of "super bugs", bacteria that have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics, which thrive in hospitals and pose increasing health threats. Athletes could wear sports kits without them becoming dirty. Hikers and travelers would also find such clothing valuable.

The only down side to the technology used by Alexium is that over time the layer of chemical wears off the fabric. Depending on the item, it can take anywhere from a few months to a year to wear away. The developers contend that the item can be re-dipped in fresh solution once it has worn off and it will be back to new. Self cleaning fabric technology has been developed elsewhere as well. In August of 2004, two scientists based at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Dr. Walid A. Daoud and Dr. John Xinc, developed another process that used nanoparticles of titanium dioxide on cotton. Titanium dioxide breaks down dirt and other organic materials, including bacteria, when exposed to the sun or an artificial source of ultraviolet light. Their process is easy, inexpensive and permanent. A stained and dirty piece of clothing need only be hung out in the sun for a day to be cleaned.

Another group at Clemson University in South Carolina in the United States also used nanoparticle technology to make smarter fabrics. They mixed a patented polymer film with nanoparticles of silver and made a fabric that is super resistant to water and dirt, so resistant in fact that the fabric can be cleaned thoroughly by only wiping a wet cloth across it. Though it does not kill microorganisms, it has many commercial applications including the use in cushions for outdoor furniture, awning and clothing. Technologies used for water proofing in the past often used fluorine based chemicals that are harmful to the environment. The Clemson University research team's method is environmentally friendly.

In a few years time, trips to the dry cleaners and hours spent over washing tubs, hands deep in soap suds will be outdated as our clothes start cleaning themselves.

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