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Researchers Develop Self-Cleaning Clothes

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:23 PM
from the your-washing-machine-is-pissed dept.
Science Technology
Ponca City, We Love You writes "Researchers at Monash University, in Australia, have found a process to coat natural fibers such as wool, silk, and hemp that will automatically remove food, grime, and even red-wine stains by coating their fibers with titanium dioxide nanocrystals, which break down food and dirt in sunlight. Titanium dioxide is a strong photocatalyst and in the presence of ultraviolet light and water vapor, it forms hydroxyl radicals, which oxidize, or decompose, organic matter. "These nanocrystals cannot decompose wool and are harmless to skin," says organic chemist and nanomaterials researcher Walid Daoud. Titanium dioxide can also destroy pathogens such as bacteria in the presence of sunlight by breaking down the cell walls of the microorganisms making self-cleaning fabrics especially useful in hospitals and other medical settings."
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Submission: Researchers Develop Self-Cleaning Clothes by pickens (49171)
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  • Sunlight? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Harmonious Botch (921977) * on Monday February 25 2008, @12:25PM (#22547544) Homepage Journal
    Sunlight?

    This is some new kind of LED, right?

    "...natural fibers such as wool, silk, and hemp..." So what if I'm sitting real close to someone who is wearing spandex or nylon or some other artificial fabric? Does it eat through those?

  • Its Achilles heel (Score:5, Funny)

    by BadAnalogyGuy (945258) <BadAnalogyGuy@gmail.com> on Monday February 25 2008, @12:26PM (#22547546)
    Obviously this would be the perfect clothing for many slashbots. However its requirement of sunlight to activate the self-cleaning enzymes makes it impractical for those basement dwellers among you.

    Can they modify the fabric to react to the glow of a CRT?

  • Only self-cleans in sunlight? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gr33nNight (679837) on Monday February 25 2008, @12:27PM (#22547554)
    I guess we'll be seeing many more geeks walking around in their underwear.
  • What about those of us who sit behind a computer in a basement all day letting our pizza spill on to our shirts?
    • Some blacklights in our basement should give the same effect - and also give us an excuse to put up those velvet posters we always secretly admired.

  • In Other News... (Score:5, Funny)

    by wrfelts (950027) on Monday February 25 2008, @12:27PM (#22547564)
    ...man wakes up to find a pile of goo wearing his wife's very clean titanium dioxide pajamas...

      • The article states that the Titanium Dioxide used is the same compound used in sun screen and cosmetics, so it's probably not going to dissolve anyone's wife anytime soon ^.^

        That's what *they* want you to believe. In truth, anyone who's worn sunscreen for any length of time has likely been gradually replaced atom-by-atom without ever noticing, until there's nothing of the original human being left. Sure, they look like hot bikini babes, but they're actually aliens from the planet Ambre Solaire.

  • I look forward to the development of advanced greenhouse-hospitals with remarkable amounts of sunlight.

    • That was my first thought, too. Sunlight is only allowed in recovery rooms at any of the hospitals I've been in, and MAYBE some lobbies.

      Still, fluorescent tubes not only cause me to have seizures, but they also produce huge amounts of ultraviolet light. Will they still work? (No, the humor is not lost on me that the lighting in hospitals causes me to have seizures... )

  • Interesting variety of uses (Score:5, Interesting)

    by brian0918 (638904) <brian0918@@@gmail...com> on Monday February 25 2008, @12:31PM (#22547630) Homepage
    It's interesting that a compound normally used in dyes [wikipedia.org] is now being use to prevent stains.
    • Part of dying is to break down or "open up" the proteins or whatever in the fibres so that they can take up the dyes. If you don't do this the dye just washes off. This same process will also break down some other materials, including many stains, allowing them to be washed away.

      Protein based fibres (wool, feathers, silk etc) require different treatment than plant based fibres(cotton, hemp etc) because there's a need to "open up" different types of cells.

      For protein based dying (in a home/craft situation) i

  • Two questions (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Valdrax (32670) on Monday February 25 2008, @12:32PM (#22547644)
    1) Does this process bleach the fabric? (i.e. Does this work for colors other than white?)
    2) What does this do to the longevity of the fibers in the fabric? Does constant exposure to hydroxyl ions damage the cellulose in them?
    • 1) Ideally no. If the coating is thick enough, light should not be able to get through and start the degradation of the fabric/dyes. This assumes that all fibers are similarly (and thus perfectly) coated. I could see cheaper coating processes leading to quicker bleaching. 2) This is similar to your first question. Only light + catalyst = degradation, so as long as the coating is uniform and thick enough to keep light from penetrating too far, it should be safe.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by mdielmann (514750)

        If the coating is thick enough, light should not be able to get through and start the degradation of the fabric/dyes.
        Um, if the light can't get through, how can the dye reflect any light? And if the dye is on the surface of the nanocrystal coating, how is this going to stop the dye from being exposed to hydroxyl ions?

  • Well, there goes my plans... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 25 2008, @12:32PM (#22547648)
    I guess the old "Spill something on her dress and act concerned by patting her chest with a napkin" plan just flew out the window. Now I gotta use other plans to act innocent while copping a feel.

    I guess I could try the "Make a sudden stop at a light right before it turns red and stick my arm out to make sure she doesn't fly forward" plan.
    • I like to go with the "ride in front of me on my motorcycle facing me, holding on, because I don't have a passenger backrest."
  • Let us pool in money and buy one for our beloved RMS ! ;)
  • OK. So it's safe on the skin, but what's the chance of inhaling or swallowing this stuff? What are the effects if it's taken internally?

  • self-cleaning and self-destructing? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by G4from128k (686170) on Monday February 25 2008, @12:36PM (#22547710)
    What stops the hydroxyl radicals produced by Ti02 from oxidizing the organic material in the cotton, silk, or hemp fibers?

    Sounds like a great way to ensure no one wears last year's fashions.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by evanbd (210358)

      Cotton is basically cellulose, which is chemically highly inert (it's a strong structure, and it arranges itself with all the chemically interesting bits on the inside of a spiral, so the attacking chemicals have trouble getting to them). Hydroxyl radicals aren't going to be enough to attack it agressively (though they might very slowly). This will be chemically similar to (not the same as) peroxide based bleaches, which are relatively mild (especially compared to chlorine bleach).

      I don't know specifica

  • Headlines (Score:5, Informative)

    by pete-classic (75983) <hutnick@gmail.com> on Monday February 25 2008, @12:51PM (#22547966) Homepage Journal
    Feb. '08 - Researchers Develop Self-Cleaning Clothes
    June '09 - Startup "Washtec" Sells First Self-Cleaning Clothes
    Oct. '09 - Old Navy, Nike, UnderArmour License Self-Cleaning Fabric Technology
    Nov. '12 - Self-Cleaning Apparel Set to Overtake Ordinary Clothing Sales this Holiday
    July '13 - Self-Cleaning Clothes Linked to Cancer, Impotence, Schizophrenia
    Aug. '13 - Self-Cleaning Clothes Health Study Flawed
    Nov. '13 - Self-Cleaning Clothes: The Killer in your Closet
    Nov. '13 - SCCs do Pose Some Risk, Scientists Say
    Dec. '13 - SCC Risks Exaggerated, Study Finds
    Feb. '14 - Old Navy pulls SCCs from Shelves
    June '14 - Newer, Safer, SCC Technology Developed

  • Pffft. If the clothing was smart (Score:3, Funny)

    by roman_mir (125474) on Monday February 25 2008, @12:54PM (#22548008) Homepage
    If the clothing made from this fabric was smart enough, it would eventually figure out that the best way to get rid of the 'dirt' problem is to eliminate the one, who is wearing the clothing in question. While the researchers say that these nanocrystals cannot harm the skin, how long before it gains this ability, by say becoming exposed to some levels of X-Rays higher than normal? It wouldn't make long before a movie about the hungry killer suit is released. Also judging from the kind of garbage that get the Oscar nowadays [oscar.com], this new movie is going to get fasttracked in that department as well.

  • The Man in the White Suit (Score:3, Informative)

    by ajm (9538) on Monday February 25 2008, @01:33PM (#22548646) Homepage
    Ealing comedy (think Lavender Hill Mob, Lady Killers, Passport to Pimlico) from 1951. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044876/ [imdb.com]

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by fm6 (162816)
      Great movie, though not as good as the Lavender Hill Mob. What's particularly interesting is that the this fictional fabric had exactly the same issues (durability, colors other than white) that are being raised with respect to this new fabric!

      Since this is Slashdot, it's worth mentioning that the star of these movies was Obi-Wan himself, Alec Guinness. Oddly enough, Sir Alec hated them, not so much on artistic grounds but because he felt that Ealing Studios treated its actors poorly. He was particularly pi

  • Life imitates art (Score:3, Informative)

    by ardent99 (1087547) on Monday February 25 2008, @02:57PM (#22549752)
    There was a great movie about this subject made in the 50's called "The Man in the White Suit", with Alec Guinness. In the movie, a scientist invents a fabric that repels dirt and doesn't wear out. After initially being heralded as a hero, all the vested interests (pun unintended) in the world's textile and clothing industries think it will mean the end for them, and they want him dead. The movie might take on renewed relevance...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_White_Suit [wikipedia.org]
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044876/ [imdb.com]

  • Already done (Score:3, Informative)

    by whoever57 (658626) on Monday February 25 2008, @04:25PM (#22550854) Journal
    It was done in 1951 [imdb.com].
    What's that you say, it was only a story? Perhaps it was and perhaps it predicted the outcome (not good for the inventor).

    • Re:Life span of garment? (Score:5, Informative)

      by BytePusher (209961) on Monday February 25 2008, @12:41PM (#22547776) Homepage
      "Titanium dioxide is a strong photocatalyst" meaning it's not used up in the process. It breaks water into an -OH and an H, which in turn clean your clothing. Basically, it'll produce bleach vapor from water vapor when sunlight is hitting it.

      • ...it'll produce bleach vapor
        Wait... like chlorine gas? Will I finally be able to make the Bender chlorine jokes while actually choking on chlorine gas? Fantastic!

      • Re: Wait a cotton pickin minute? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by arizwebfoot (1228544) on Monday February 25 2008, @01:11PM (#22548290)
        Not only that, but your skin is crawling with "good" bacteria and how does it know the difference between the "bad" bacteria to break down and the "good" bacteria on your skin?

          • Re: Wait a cotton pickin minute? (Score:4, Informative)

            by blueg3 (192743) on Monday February 25 2008, @02:04PM (#22549032)
            There's actually a pretty subtle distinction here. "Superbugs" are caused by the overuse or misuse of antibiotic medicines -- chemical agents that selectively kill bacteria and other germs. Less-subtle techniques, like most antiseptics, are much tougher to develop a mechanism for avoiding, so topical antiseptics like soap and bleach stand no real chance of becoming ineffective germ-killers. (They're also not selective, and so doing something like ingesting them is not feasible.) While putting antibiotics into products unnecessarily increases the risk of developing an antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain, this isn't the case for an antiseptic (like what is produced by TiO2).

    • Re:This might make business SCENTS and CENTS... (Score:5, Informative)

      by Quadraginta (902985) on Monday February 25 2008, @01:13PM (#22548320)
      Any very fine mineral dust you inhale in large quantities -- and 5.0 grams per cubic meter is unbelievably dusty, like blowing a whole pack of chalk to smithereens in your office -- will cause the symptoms described in both the OSHA document and the more problematic document you cite from people who want to scare you into buying their (more expensive) "natural" products.

      All particles with sharp edges, i.e. that come from minerals, irritate the delicate tissue lining your lungs if you inhale it. TiO2 is no different in this regard than, say, SiO2 -- plain old sand -- that you might inhale if you were around blasting or power sanding operations all day. (Google "silicosis.")

      Furthermore, your lungs are built like lobster traps from the point of view of inhaled superfine particles: it's easy to get in, but very difficult to get out. This is why in the upper region of the respiratory tract, you have mucus that traps inhaled larger particles and cilia that beat constantly to flush them up and out, plus a cough reflex to expel the scum. But you can't have these things in the deep tissue of the lungs, because that surface area is needed for gas exchange.

      So if you inhale very fine dust, it just stays in your lungs pretty much forever, jiggling around and rubbing on things, irritating them. Your body may decide to wall it off with scar tissue if it's irritating enough, which is the "fibrosis" mentioned. It's even possible if it's sufficiently irritating, like the very sharp particles of asbestos fibers, that it can stimulate lung cancer. For all we know, the only reason people get lung cancer in the large numbers they do is because, sooner or later, everyone's lungs fill up with irritating particles of all manner and description and the chronic irritation causes tumors. Unfortunately, the only way to eliminate the threat of inhaled fine dust completely is to never breathe without a heavy fine-filtering face mask.

      Insofar as these clothes are concerned, the primary question would be: how is this very fine dust going to be generated? I mean, inhaling very fine silica (SiO2) dust is dangerous in exactly the same way, but you don't refuse to go to the beach or rock-climbing because you know the rock and sand has no reason to suddenly pulverize itself and become superfine dangerous dust. So how would fibers coated with TiO2 get pulverized and generate super fine dust? Don't say the motion of wearing the clothes, either, because you need much more force than this. Walking on the sand at the beach doesn't pulverize the sand particles and generated dangerous superfine silica dust, after all.

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