Thailand Textiles Institute, an organisation that oversees the development of local textile industries, has been researching nanotechnology to develop a new kind of self-cleaning, anti-bacteria textile.

The institute has been working with a research team from Chulalongkorn University. They have used nano-particles of titanium dioxide as a coating on textiles to improve their properties.

We decided to use titanium dioxide as it has anti-bacterial and self-cleaning properties, said the institute's director of technology Chanchai Sirikasemlert. For the project, the team coated nano-particles of titanium dioxide on top of textiles by spraying. As the coated substance is on a nano scale, only five to 50 nanometres, the particles cling to the textiles' fibres even after long use. The properties are retained as well. Chanchai said the institute is engaged in production for a pilot test to be held next month.

For the test, the institute will coat nano-substances on 1,000 metres of fabric, enough to cover 30 seat cushions in a tour bus.

"We wanted to try it on a tour bus as it's a public vehicle and they require hygienic seating," he said, adding that the institute planned to license the technology to local textile manufacturers so they could use it to  improve their range of products.  Manufacturing of textiles used for car seats can be  a profitable business. Chanchai said that if local manufacturers could improve the quality of the process, it would add more value and expand their market both domestically and internationally.

"We believe that nanotechnology can upgrade conventional products to high-end products, which can then be sold for a higher price," he said.

The going rate for textiles used to make car seats is Bt400 per metre. With nano-technology, the price will be 20 per cent higher, as coated textiles require no new manufacturing process, Chanchai said, "so manufacturers can adopt the new technology instantly with no extra investment".

However, they need to pay for the new nano-substance, he added.

Nano-particles of titanium dioxide cost Bt25 per gram and in the production process, only 0.5 gram needs to be used to coat one square metre of cloth. Manufacturers, therefore, would have to spend only around Bt12 extra per one metre of textile, but they could sell the product for much more, perhaps 20 per cent extra.

Apart from the auto industry, the technology can be used in other industries as well, like those manufacturing home linen. In the meantime, the institute has also conducted another research project, to use nano-particles of zinc oxide to coat medical surgery suits. Zinc oxide has properties that kill microbial germs and bacteria.

The institute has worked with Chiang Mai University to coat zinc-oxide nano-particles on cotton to produce a washable anti-microbial suit.

Chanchai said the suit could kill at least seven kinds of microbial germs. This is easier as the suit won't require the many sterilisation steps, and it will be tested on doctors next month. The institute hopes that the new kind of textile will add value to local textile products, especially for export.

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation