Nanofabrics -Smart Clothes Repel Germs, Allergens & Pollution

Function meets fashion with the emerging interest in smart textiles. Recently, Cornell student Olivia Ong debuted a jacket and dress made of "nanofabrics" on the fashion runway. Both items, coated in nano-sized bits of metal, are resistant to dirt, allergens and even break down harmful pollution before it reaches the wearer's skin.

Ong created this high-tech couture with the help of Dr. Juan Hinestroza, an assistant professor of fiber science at Cornell University. Her vision was brought to life in his lab, where pieces of positively charged fabric were immersed in negatively charged, nano-sized bits of antibacterial silver.

With the particles of metal being so tiny, nanofabrics look and feel like normal fabrics, allowing designers to create any kind of functional piece they desire. Says Ong, "I thought this could potentially be what fashion is moving toward." She would be half-right, as both the fashion world and the scientific world have pricked up their ears since her clothes debuted.

Ong isn't the first creator of smart clothes, however. There have been numerous attempts at fusing science and fashion in the recent past, most notably in 2004 when MIT scientists designed waterproof microprocessors to be placed in patches to be worn on clothing. These tiny, computerized patches could be customized with Bluetooth transmitters, microphones, sensors and even a mini-PC motherboard.

Antibacterial clothing is inarguably a more practical example of smart clothing than Bluetooth blue jeans. However, those who wish to model Ong's nanofabric designs this cold and flu season may need to start saving up now. Each piece is estimated to cost around $10,000.

Posted by Amy Cotrell

Sources:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/May07/nanofibers.fashion.aj.html
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6553.html