Nano in textiles

Nano in textiles and clothing

Nano style

Nano is used in textiles mainly to provide stain-resistance or anti-bacterial properties. Some clothes made from these textiles can now be purchased in high-street shops, usually with these properties described on the tags attached, though they may not mention the words nano or nanotechnologies.

Stain-resistant fabrics

If you spill something, even something as drastic as red wine, down the front of your nano-enhanced shirt or suit, all you have to do is wipe it off with a dry cloth and it looks like new. This is often called The Lotus Effect

What is the 'Lotus Effect'?

The leaves of a lotus plant actually repel water and other liquids, even glues. They are structured so that when it rains, little beads of water form on the plant’s leaves and instead of spreading out, they just roll off.

The plant does this using its own nanotechnology. Basically, nano-sized hairs combine with the wax coating of the leaf to make the water droplets sit up on the surface without dispersing onto the leaf’s surface below.

This doesn’t just happen with lotus leaves. A similar process works for some insects, the wings of butterflies and the proverbial ‘water off a duck’s back’. Whenever a textile, or other product like glass or paint, repels water in this way, it is referred to as the Lotus Effect.