Hey, how often have we seen this science fiction device used? The most recent that I can recall is Benjamin Rosenbaum's story Start The Clock, which had one of the characters wiping their nose on the sleeve of a coat and the fabric "eating" the residue. I daresay that it is a fairly common and widely used device. One that might come to be sooner than we thought.
Researchers at Monash University, in Victoria, Australia, have found a way to coat fibers with titanium dioxide nanocrystals, which break down food and dirt in sunlight. (Researchers) coat the fibers with a thin, invisible layer of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide, which is used in sunscreens, toothpaste, and paint, is a strong photocatalyst: in the presence of ultraviolet light and water vapor, it forms hydroxyl radicals, which oxidize, or decompose, organic matter. However...these nanocrystals cannot decompose wool and are harmless to skin. Plus the nanocrystals do not change the look or feel of the fabric. Even more exciting is the finding that titanium dioxide can also destroy pathogens such as bacteria in the presence of sunlight by breaking down the cell walls of the microorganisms. This should make self-cleaning fabrics especially useful in hospitals and other medical settings.
More in Technology Review
photo American Chemical Society
Researchers at Monash University, in Victoria, Australia, have found a way to coat fibers with titanium dioxide nanocrystals, which break down food and dirt in sunlight. (Researchers) coat the fibers with a thin, invisible layer of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide, which is used in sunscreens, toothpaste, and paint, is a strong photocatalyst: in the presence of ultraviolet light and water vapor, it forms hydroxyl radicals, which oxidize, or decompose, organic matter. However...these nanocrystals cannot decompose wool and are harmless to skin. Plus the nanocrystals do not change the look or feel of the fabric. Even more exciting is the finding that titanium dioxide can also destroy pathogens such as bacteria in the presence of sunlight by breaking down the cell walls of the microorganisms. This should make self-cleaning fabrics especially useful in hospitals and other medical settings.
More in Technology Review
photo American Chemical Society
No comments:
Post a Comment