Never-dirty clothes invented
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.CLOTHING THAT never gets dirty could soon be in fashion - thanks to British scientists. The secret developed by researchers at the University of Durham is every parent's dream come true.
Children wearing clothes made with the process could make as much mess as they like, yet remain clean and dry. The treatment creates an invisible non-stick surface coating that repels water, grease and dirt.
As well as being useful for clothing, it has hundreds of other applications, from aircraft parts and ship hulls to banknotes and wallpaper.
Jas Pal Badyal, director of the research programme at Durham's department of chemistry, said: "This process has many advantages over existing methods. It works at room temperature with a low amount of energy. It uses no solvents, produces negligible waste, and is friendly to the environment. The process is fast and the effects are long-lasting." The key to the treatment is a plasma process which involves filling a chamber with gas and passing an electric current through it. This deposits a thin coating, invisible to the naked eye. The finish is super-repellent, far superior to conventional non-stick surfaces.
Laboratory tests show that drops of water and oil remain spherical when they come into contact with the coating and roll away instead of spreading out or soaking in.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments