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Self Cleaning Underwear

January 6th 2007 10:26
Boffins working at the US air force have created ‘self cleaning fabric’ that has been put to good use with underwear.

The only industry that could benefit more from the underwear manufacturers would be the sports underwear manufacturers. It’s that big a discovery.

Like all good cutting edge tech the whole idea of self cleaning fabric revolves around nano particles. Nanoparticles are sprinkled over the fabric using microwaves after which chemicals that directly repel bacteria (detergent?) water (oil perhaps?) and oil (water maybe?) are bound to the nanoparticles.


This kills bacteria on clothing and forces water and oil to bead off rather than soak the fabric.


Diagram of how it works:

Self Cleaning Fabric Nano Particles Nanoparticles technology
Click to Enlarge



The U.S. military spent a good $20 million developing this technology to protect soldiers from their own biological weaponry however they have found better uses for it in the sporting underwear industry where it is expected to make them countless billions in royalties.
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Comments
19 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by katyzzz

January 6th 2007 11:27
I understand the Science well enough, but still think I'd like to wash my own, Ahmed.

Would not the underwear still need washing later? to remove the nonoparticles and their attachments?

katyzzz

Comment by Ahmed

January 6th 2007 11:28
They don't attach to the dirt, they repell the dirt Katyzzz.

Comment by Ashish

January 6th 2007 14:16
lol but still they will be inside....and anyway doesnt it need to be washed sometime ?

Comment by Ahmed

January 6th 2007 14:17
Apparently it can keep itself clean for several weeks...

Comment by Ash

January 7th 2007 00:13
I think I would rather stick to conventional underwear!

Comment by Lilla

January 7th 2007 01:12
Ahmed,

Imagine all that sweat on the INSIDE of my cottons?

.. where does it go?

... living in Queensland, trust me, it sounds pretty yuk to me ... besides, the sweat on my clothes in summer is the only thing to catch the breeze and cool me...

and god knows what all those chemicals will do to me, later ...*twitch, twitch*

no thanks,

great post!
Lilla

Comment by Ashish

January 7th 2007 01:51
It can be good for sports people who gonna sweat 10 times more than a normal people a day.

@Lila : agreeed..i cant even think of repeating it lol

Comment by Always Eighteen

January 7th 2007 01:58
I'll buy em as long as they repel the fart smells!

Comment by Ahmed

January 7th 2007 02:06
Lilla, I think they have some sort of nano-one-way-valve thing built into them.

Also worth noting is that they aren't harmful chemicals, nanoparticles aren't inherintly harmful and the water and oil phobic chemicals are probably quite safe too. remember the intent of this new material was to protect people against chemicles, would be ironic if the chemicles on the fbaric killed people.

Comment by Lilla

January 7th 2007 02:27
Ahmed,

..bear with me, I'm a little foggy today, it's getting hot in Queensland...

I get all that stuff you're saying, but I cannot think of where the water is diverted too. Will my cottons have little aqueducts in them, like still-suit tubes in DUNE, something useful to reclaim the water?

My point is, where does all that sweat go - and in queensland summer we're talking about 1 litre per hour in February? Not a small feat of drainage my friend as you can feel the sweat running down your back and we shower up here about three times a day...

Where does it go?

\thanks, melting ..
:Lio;;a

Comment by Ahmed

January 7th 2007 02:40
I guess you should think of it like this Lilla: Remember that episode where flanders is skiing and remarks to homer about his ski clothing 'feels like I'm wearing nothing at all'.

My best guess is that it will feel like you're wearing something save for the fact that all the sweat will simply fall out eventually. Like, imagine running around naked, where does the sweat go?

This is only my best guess btw, I'm no aeronitical engineer.

Comment by Lilla

January 7th 2007 02:50
Ahmed,

it still makes no sense at all becuase it has to permeate the cloth in order to reach the air, in order to evaporate.

I should iamgine that being stuck on the inside of the cloth, would feel more like wearing cling wrap, than nothing at all, wouldn't it?

Whilst I do know of the Simpsons, I don't watch TV shows as such, and so I don't know about flanders and homer's holiday vacation, sorry.

Lilla

Comment by Ahmed

January 7th 2007 03:09
It doesn't repel sweat, I think what it does is simply not allow itself to be soaked up in sweat. So the sweat would simply run through it. Nothing gets contained

Heres the scene btw:


Comment by Lilla

January 7th 2007 04:42
Ooh, okay...

I get it now, the water runs through the cloth and down the outside... so we would see the sweat on the outside of people's shirts - say - like you do on someone's forehead...

Hmmm, it may have merit in certain circumstances, yes especially around sport, but I'm not sure on fashion though?

Thanks Ahmed, for the trouble you've gone too... and your patience, in explaining it to me.

Caio
Lilla...

Comment by Ahmed

January 7th 2007 04:46
No problem Lilla, explaining it to you helped me understand it better too. Like the saying goes 'best way to learn something is to teach it'.

I agree that apart from sporting uses it doesn't really have a feasible application which is probably why it is being targetted at sports clothing.

Comment by Ahmed

January 7th 2007 04:46
No problem Lilla, explaining it to you helped me understand it better too. Like the saying goes 'best way to learn something is to teach it'.

I agree that apart from sporting uses it doesn't really have a feasible application which is probably why it is being targetted at sports clothing.

Comment by katyzzz

January 7th 2007 07:21
Ahmed,

In your original text you mentioned things being "bound" to the nanoparticles, no need to reply, just wanted to point this out.

katyzzz

Comment by Ahmed

January 7th 2007 07:22
Yes, I mentioned water and oil phobic chemicles being bound to these nano particles, these chemicals ren't necessarily lethal as I pointed out water and oil are phobic of each other and neither has any adverse affect on human health.

Comment by Bhumika

January 7th 2007 19:46
can i get one..? i need them so badly..

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