NEWS
New nano-coated textiles use light to self-clean
Release time:
2022-09-14 14:08
Source:
The American "Popular Science" magazine recently reported that a new textile with nano-coating can use light to clean itself, bringing humanity one step closer to a future without laundry.
Washing machines use a lot of water, so producing clothes that don't need to be washed reduces water usage. Now, researchers have created a special textile that can self-clean in just six minutes when exposed to sunlight. The results were recently published in the journal Advanced Materials Interface.
When silver and copper nanostructures in textiles absorb light, they transfer electrons in a way that helps things like stains on clothes break down into organic matter. Still, there's still a lot of work to be done before humans throw washing machines out of the way. Researchers still have to test substances with more complex stains and find ways to make textiles cheap enough.