Sewing clothes for doctors from such material will help them in the fight against coronavirus.
The Institute of Catalysis of the SB RAS announced a development that can help doctors who are on the front line in the fight for the life and health of people diagnosed with COVID-19. It is based on a special fabric from which it is proposed to sew clothes for doctors. It has a unique property - it cleans itself, without washing, only due to exposure to light or weak ultraviolet radiation. After the shift, the doctor will not throw out his gown, it will not need to be soaked in bleach - you just need to hang the clothes under the light source, and that's it. Denis Kozlov, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Scientific Secretary of the Institute of Catalysis of the SB RAS, told us how it works.
NEED LIGHT AND TITANIUM DIOXIDE
The new property of tissue is based on the phenomenon of photocatalysis. This phenomenon is not new, it became widely known back in the 80s of the last century. Japanese scientist Akira Fujishima learned to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen using photocatalysts. Specifically, this discovery was not continued, but it became known that with the help of the same photocatalysts, volatile impurities in the air, including bacteria and viruses, can be effectively oxidized. It is this strong disinfecting ability of photocatalysts that has received further practical application. Now, based on this discovery, air purifiers are being made; in Japan, paint is made with which the surfaces of houses and even cars are covered. But no one has made fabrics with the same property before our scientists.
What is a photocatalyst? The photocatalyst is based on titanium dioxide, a natural mineral commonly used as a white pigment. But photocatalytically active dioxide is a more complex structure; a solution with it is prepared in the laboratories of the Institute of Catalysis. In this colloidal solution, the smallest particles of titanium dioxide float, which covers the fabric taken as a basis. After processing, the fabric is washed and dried, but particles with photocatalytic activity remain on the fibers. They give matter an almost miraculous quality.
Photocatalytic self-cleaning fabric based materials.
The fabric itself, however, will not cleanse itself, for this one more condition is needed - light.
Promotional video:
- The reaction requires irradiation, for example, with sunlight or lamps that are used in tanning salons, - says Denis Kozlov. - We assume that after the end of the shift, the healthcare professional will place the clothes in the room with the irradiators, where they will be cleaned. In the process of work, a person also does not sit still - he walks, and lamp or sunlight falls on the fabric.
As a result, the risk of the virus spreading inside the hospital is reduced, because the tissue is cleaned at least a little, but throughout the day.
FROM BOTTOM TO BLINDS
This fabric can be washed, you can sew clothes from it, it does not stain other clothes on a person - scientists have already tested these properties, as well as the effectiveness of self-cleaning. According to the results of the study, when clothes were irradiated for three hours, the efficiency was 99%. During the experiments, the scientists placed the cloth in a box where the lamps were turned on, like in a tanning bed.
Fundamental research has now been completed at the Institute of Catalysis, and individual pieces of tissue up to one meter in size were used in the experiments. To bring the project to production capacity, investors are needed who are interested in the development.
Senior Researcher Dmitry Selishchev (left) and Head of the Photo- and Electrocatalysis Laboratory, Scientific Secretary of the Institute of Catalysis of the SB RAS Denis Kozlov (right).
By the way, our scientists have learned to apply the photocatalyst to different types of matter: cotton, acrylic, synthetic and semi-synthetic fabrics. In general, the task would be set - chemists will help to realize it.
Overall, this idea has many interesting uses. For example, if you sew curtains from photocatalytic fabric, they will become a real filter and an indoor air purifier. After all, they occupy a large area in the room, and everything that will settle on them, thanks to daylight, will decompose to harmless components - water and carbon dioxide. For military uniforms, the self-cleaning property of the fabric will also be useful. In general, the scope of application is a matter of imagination. The main thing is that the development is noticed and implemented.
EKATERINA KOMYAKOVA