If you’re clumsy and constantly spilling food
down yourself, or just lazy and don’t like
washing your clothes, a student has invented
the answer to your problems – a T-shirt that
is impossible to stain.The tops can resist any
spills and splashes including Coca-Cola,
tomato ketchup, mustard, milkshakes, beer,
ink and even red wine. The clothing is made
from polyester, which has been infused with a
combination of chemicals that make it
resistant to water. Despite this, the T-shirts
are said to feel ‘no different to any other items
that could be found in a clothing shop.’
University student Patel from San Francisco
made a prototype using a spray-on chemical,
but realised it would only last for one wash. He
then began looking at ways to incorporate the
technology into the fabric.
He created a fabric that has the
nanotechnology bonded to the fibres on a
microscopic level.
This means they won’t irritate the skin.
According to Patel: ‘Most liquid molecules will
not be able to touch the fabric because of a
microscopic layer of air that forms between
the liquid and fabric.
‘This is because the fabric is layered with
billions of silica particles. Water based liquids
will form a 150 degree sphere and roll right off!
As a result, this barrier protects your shirt
from potential accidents.’
After testing his method, the business student
created a page about the invention, named
Silic, on crowdfunding website Kickstarter.
He has already exceeded his target of around
$20,000 (£12,250), before the campaign
closes on 26 January. The shirts are expected
to be on sale online from May and will cost
around £30. According to Patel’s Kickstarter
page, there are certain steps wearers have to
take to make sure the T-shirts stays
waterproof.
These include not using fabric softener in a
machine wash, no bleaching or washing with
colours and no ironing. Patel also advises
wearers not to dry clean the shirt.
To reactivate the water repellency, the T-shirt
must also be put through a tumble dryer on a
low heat at least once every three washes.
Patel said: ‘I started the project a year and a
half ago after looking at making smart
clothing.‘I wanted to try something different
and I had heard about Hydrophobic spray,
which is a spray that is completely water
resistant.
‘I thought about putting it on a T-shirt but
when I was making a prototype after a while I
became very light headed and I realised it may
not be safe to use.
‘I also realised that if I were to put this on
clothing, it would wear off after just one wash
so it wouldn’t be sustainable.
‘To make it safe and last longer, I put the
technology into the polyester of the T-shirt
while it was being made on a nanoscale,
molecular level.
“The T-shirts we have now are completely
safe and will last for up to 80 washes, so you
get around about two year’s worth of wear out
of it.’
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