Clothing, clean thyself!
Scientists in Australia have created nanostructures that can use light to automatically clean fabric.
According the International Business Times, researchers at RMIT University in Australia have created a textile treated with nanostructures that “degrade organic material when put in direct sunlight or under a light bulb.”
Their findings were published in the Advanced Materials Interfaces journal.
According to IBS, copper and silver-based nanostructures can absorb visible light. “When the nanostructures are exposed to light, they get an energy boost resulting in 'hot electrons' that allows organic matter to be broken down.”
The RMIT researchers “grew” these light-absorbing nanostructures on fabric, which, when exposed to light, started cleaning itself. The team next plans to test their self-cleaning fabric with tough stains such as tomato sauce and wine.
Study author Rajesh Ramanathan is optimistic that self-cleaning fabric has a future for clothing and medical applications, but he cautions that there is still work to be done.
"There's more work to do to before we can start throwing out our washing machines, but this advance lays a strong foundation for the future development of fully self-cleaning textiles," he said.
You can read more about it here.
