BOFFINS INVENT CLOTHES THAT CLEAN THEMSELVES ; Fabric ‘Kills Off’ Smells
By John Ferguson
SCIENTISTS claim to have created self-cleaning clothes.
A fabric developed by US military researchers can repel water, resist stains and kill off smelly bacteria.
It means children’s sports kits and other garments could be worn several times between washes.
The breakthrough mirrors the 1951 film The Man In The White Suit, starring Alec Guinness.
He played an inventor who develops a cloth that never gets dirty.
A British firm have now won the licensing rights to develop the technology.
John Almond, a director of Alexium, claims self-cleaning sports kits could be in shops within a year of a deal being signed with manufacturers.
He said: “We are expecting sportswear to be one of the biggest areas in which this technology will be used.
“We are now talking to some major sportswear brands to use this technology, but there are hundreds of other applications we are investigating.
“These range from hospital bedding and nurses’ uniforms to air conditioning filters on planes.”
The new technology uses microwaves to fix microscopic particles permanently to the fibres of clothing.
They have a range of properties that will make fabric impenetrable to water and able to kill bacteria.
Though the chemicals will eventually wear off, clothes can be retreated repeatedly with the hi-tech formula.
Ottilia Saxl, chief executive of the Institute of Nanotech- nology at Stirling University, said: “The anti-bacterial properties could be of great use in kitchens and hospitals, where antibiotic resistance is a big problem.”
The American military spent pounds 14million developing the chemical coating, initially intended to protect soldiers against biological attack.
Jeff Owens was one of the US Air Force scientists who came up with the substance.
He said: “During Desert Storm, most casualties were from bacterial infections -not accidents or friendly fire.
“We treated underwear for soldiers who tested them for several weeks and found they remained hygienic.
“They also helped clear up some skin complaints.”
(c) 2007 Daily Record; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.