Nano-technology for Textile Industry

By: Dr. V K Tripathi

Nano-technology for Textile Industry

(Current products and patents)
Its hard to think of an industry that isnt going to be disrupted by nanotechnology. -Mike Roco Senior Advisor Nanotechnology US National Science Foundation. By: Dr. V K Tripathi

We have already started discussing the potential impact of the nanotechnology on our wardrobes, and the first few products of this type are already shipping. Some of them come from a company called Nano Tex, whish uses nanoscale structures to change the physical properties of clothing. Its Nano-Dry product purports to combine the strength of synthetic material such as nylon with the comfort of natural open-weaves by carrying away perspiration and moisture. It dose this by wrapping strong, durable, synthetic core fibers with specially made absorbent fibers to produce what could be called a smart heterogeneous composite nanomaterial, though we agree that calling it Nano-Dry is probably catchier. (see Figure 1)

The clothing industry is just now starting to feel the effects of nanotech. Eddie Bauer, for example, is currently using embedded nanoparticals to creat stain-repellent khakis. This seemingly simple innovation will impact not only khaki-wearers, but dry cleaners, who will find their business declining; detergent makers, who will find less of their product moving off the shelves; and stain-removal makers, who will experience a sharp decrease in customers. This modest, fairly low-tech application of nanotechnology in just the small tip of a vast iceberg- an iceberg that threatens to sink even the unsinkable companies. In Nano-Tex, LLC (Emeryville, CA) the polymer system (antibacterial) have developed following products:Textiles for apparel Interior furnishings and industrial Automotive and Medical uses (2000) In clothing manufacturing, Gore-Tex (www.gore-tex.com) offers a jacket made of a waterproof polymer membrane with embedded nano-size carbon particles that resist taking on a static charge. Such anti-static protection could be used, for example, in firefighters suits to help them avoid static electricity that could spark fire in a hazardous situation. Nano-Tex (www.nanotex.com) uses nanotechnology to produce Nano-Care stain-resistant clothing. Nano-Tex wont give away how they incorporate their spill-resistant technology, but its likely that they coat the fiber with a polymer. Because the fiber are coated and then woven into fabric, the cloth maintains its strain resistance even after many washes and the fabric maintains its soft texture and feel. They license the technology to others, including clothing giants The Gap, Nike and Old Navy. Many American and European textile companies are counting on their high-tech nano edge to survive as they compete with countries that can provide lower cost-labor. Are you a nanotech investor? In this era of nano speculation, Zyvex is one of the few companies with strong funding and solid business practices that is actually making money off of nano products and services. They are a privet company, but if they ever go public, call your broker!

Nanophase Technologies Corporation, based in Romeovill, Illinois, is currently producing nanoparticles that are being used is vinyl flooring. What makes the flooring so special is the nanoparticle coating. The nanoparticles are so tough that thy make the product difficult to scratch and are so small that they are invisible to the naked eye (remember, the nanoparticles in sunscreens, which Nanophase also manufactures, are smaller than the wavelength of ultraviolet light). These properties allow the makers of the vinyl to offer a glossy product that can rival the look of the tile, and they can offer a lifetime guarantee against rips and scratches. As a result, the flooring is taking market share away from tile manufacturers and quite likely is reducing the workload of professional tile installers. If vinyl flooring can be given a lifetime guarantee today, it stands to reason that roofing shingles, tabletop counters, and a host of other products might also be given similar guarantee in the near future. If so, what happens to the production level of roofing shingles and tabletop counters? And what about the number of contractors needed to install these products if fewer of the existing ones are wearing out? Sometimes called the building blocks of nanotechnology, nanoparticles (particles with diameters less than 100nm) constitute a commercially important sector of the nanotechnology market. Unlike many speculative applications of nanotechnology, nanoparticles have been with us for a while. Nanoscale gold clusters have been to color ancient glass as far back a Roman civilization. More recently, in the twentieth century, carbon black a material composed of nanoparticles of high-grade carbon soot was incorporated into tires, resulting in greatly improved durability. By the year 2000, carbon black for tires was a 6-million-tons-per-year global market. Nanoparticles are useful when their properties at the nanoscale (mechanical, optical, magnetic, and so on) are different from those at the bulk in some beneficial way and also when their size enables interactions with biological systems. About the author: Dr. V K Tripathi is the managing director of Virtus Techno Innovations, a company dedicated to the R&D in nanotechnology. He is working in the field of applied nanotechnology since 1984. His group companies have so far filed 23 patent applications in nanotechnology. Tripathi is also the inventor of right brain management (RBM), a patent-pending technique that can be practiced to raise the right brain utilisation of people beyond the current 1 per cent. He can be contacted at vaubt@vsnl.com Website: www.virtusti.com www.virtusti.com (Nanotechnology) , www.nanocet.org -(Nanotechnology) www.vaubt.com (Right Brain Management)

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