Clothes that Clean Themselves

A recent publication details a self-cleaning nanocrystal which can be coated onto clothe fibers. A recent article in Technology Review, Clothes that Clean Themselves, details the discovery.

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. The
researchers, led by organic chemist and nanomaterials
researcher Walid Daoud, have made natural fibers such as
wool, silk, and hemp that will automatically remove food,
grime, and even red-wine stains when exposed to sunlight.

Daoud and his colleagues coat the fibers with a thin, invisible
layer of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide,
which is used in sunscreens, toothpaste, and paint, is a s
trong photocatalyst: in the presence of ultraviolet light and
water vapor, it forms hydroxyl radicals, which oxidize, or
decompose, organic matter. However, says Daoud, "these
nanocrystals cannot decompose wool and are harmless to
skin." Moreover, the coating does not change the look and
feel of the fabric.

The original publication appears in
Chemistry of Materials

Walid A. Daoud, S. K. Leung, W. S. Tung, J. H. Xin, K. Cheuk, and K. Qi. Self-Cleaning Keratins. Chem. Mater.; 2008; 20(4) pp 1242 - 1244; (Communication)
DOI:10.1021/cm702661k

I had read about this ta while ago... the problem with things like these is that they rarely ever go mainstream, and sadly seem to always end up being forgotten, depite how useful something like this could be...

why we can't use other cheaper materials in the form of nanopartilces instead of costly tio2?.................please send your reply in the form of private message.........