AHMEDABAD (TIP): Getting rid of stubborn stains from clothes will no more be a herculean task. The Facilitation Centre for Industrial Plasma Technologies (FCIPT), a division of Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gandhinagar, has manufactured a technology wherein a cloth can be rendered stain proof.

The FCIPT has developed nano particle powder wherein titanium metal is vaporised with plasma to form titanium dioxide (TiO2). These nano particles, when mixed with alcohol -like in the case of deodorants – and sprayed on clean clothes prove to be excellent stain cutters. “The TiO2 nano particles get trapped between fibres of the cloth and form a protective coat. The moment a tough stain like say turmeric enriched curry falls on the your nano-treated shirt or top, one just has to leave it in the sun for two to three hours and the stain vanishes instantly,” says C Balasubramanian, senior scientist at FCIPT.

“The sun’s ultraviolet rays activate the TiO2 which helps oxygen from atmosphere to convert to radical oxygen that reacts with stain molecules and breaks it down – thereby removing stains. This process is called a self-cleaning cloth,” Balasubramanian explained.

Once sprayed, the TiO2 coat remains for more than 20 washes. Balasubramanian adds, “Normally, preparing TiO2 through a chemical process involves several steps over many days. At FCIPT we have prepared a process to produce nano particles of high purity in large quantities through plasma treatment in 2 to 3 minutes flat,” the scientist said. Dr S K Nema, senior scientist at FCIPT, said, “We have developed a system where textile rolls are passed through plasma which modifies the surface of the textile up to a few nano meters.” Source: TOI