セルフクリーニングする繊維

Nanotechnology-based self-cleaning fabrics
http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=832

A recent American Chemical Society’s Weekly PressPac briefly
describes how Australian researchers have used nanotechnology to
develop ’self-cleaning’ wool and silk fabrics (scroll to article #4
in the PressPac). The researchers ‘prepared wool fabrics with and
without a nanoparticle coating composed of anatase titanium dioxide, a
substance that is known to destroy stains, dirt, and harmful
microorganisms upon exposure to sunlight.’ In one of their
experiments, they poured red wine upon pristine and
nanotechnology-coated wool. After 20 hours, their coated fabric ’
showed almost no signs of the red stain, whereas the untreated fabric
remained deeply stained.’
	:
“The coating, which is non-toxic, can be permanently bonded to the
fibre and does not alter its texture and feel, they note, so a silk
tie would still feel silky. The tricky part of the research was
finding a way to bind the keratin to the titanium dioxide, says Daoud.
	:
For more information, this research has been published online by
Chemistry of Materials, an American Chemical Society publications
under the title “Self-Cleaning Keratins” on January 23, 2008.
	:
“In this contribution, self-cleaning keratin fibers have been
realized following a bottom-up nanotechnology approach in which
anatase nanocrystals of titanium dioxide are formulated and carefully
applied to the fibers via a near room temperature sol?gel process in
order to maintain their intrinsic properties while conferring
self-cleaning properties and self-protection against UV
degradation. This may enable wider utilization of these natural
fibers.”

毛や絹の繊維に酸化チタンのナノ粒子(光触媒: 光をあてると汚れや細菌を
分解するので有名)をコーティングした繊維を作ったとのことです。
赤ワインをこぼして20時間後にはしみがほとんど目立たなくなっています。
このコーティングは無毒で繊維からはずれず、風合いも変えないとのことです。

記事にも書かれていますが、光触媒は有機物を分解するから、
繊維自身がどうやって分解されないようになっているんだろう。
繊維を何かでコートしてさらにその上に酸化チタンナノ粒子を
つけているのかな?

もう洗濯機は必要なし？ 自己洗浄機能を持つ繊維が開発
http://www.technobahn.com/news/2008/200802261139.html

日本語の解説はこちらです。

記事を書く励みになりますのでよろしければ
週間ランキング
をクリックいただけると嬉しいです。