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Home > Nanotechnology Columns > Shiva Balivada > FabricNano - Unveiling the Virtual Reality

Shiva Prasad Balivada
Founder, Managing Director & CEO
Vi NanoTech

Abstract:
In a land of ever changing climate conditions, Nano coating on a Fabric has created a great new VirtualReality.

April 9th, 2008

FabricNano - Unveiling the Virtual Reality

In every day life not a single day passes with out the columns of newspapers heralding "Buy X and Get Y Free". It was one such occasion that led me to enter a large store in the outskirts of Bangalore where "Buy 3 and Get 4 Free" was an option. The store had a large variety of best international brands vying with each other for consumer attention. When I was looking at some of the brands a sales person walked up to me and said if I could try this new Shirt…. He mentioned it was a Nano Shirt. Quickly pulled out a pale of water and poured on it… It just trickled and said that it was the power of Nano. Many of us could not believe what we saw and looked amazed….

This incident put my thoughts back to remembering what we had done in the Bangalore Nano Show recently….Our Demo also left many amazed in the First ever Nanotechnology EXPO in India (December 2007). Image below shows a stretchable Fabric with hydrophobicity effect (due to Nano surface coating) on display to Governor of Karnataka, Prof CNR Rao, and Secretary for IT/BT/Nano government of Karnataka.

Demo at Bangalore Nano


Fabric has been a great part of our life from ages; it comes in different colors, different forms and different shapes… Used by all for inventing many options for variety of uses... It attracts dirt, sweat, and liquids that fall on it. Some times making cleaning a difficult job. Especially in our country where the climate conditions are some times very tough…. Like some one says that the climate in one of the better known cities is hot-hotter-hottest. Just imagine you were in a restaurant and some thing spills on your shirt… May be with a Nano Coating you are OK with it as it wouldn't stick to it. We grew up seeing advertisements which show case "Why my shirt is whiter than his". One of the best known media communications were "washing powder Nirma" which created a big brand out of a small product.

How Nanotechnology can help out?

We have seen that hydrophobic relation on a fabric will create much needed relief to the user not only in having Easy-to-Clean effect but also an environment friendly situation. Some of the Nano Products are water based, ultra thin, transparent particle free nano layer coating for textiles. They use molecular bonding to form a super-phobic coating. Thus the ecologically sound layer is undetectable and allows the substrate to 'breath' naturally. And contain no VOC (volatile organic compounds). They protect and preserve the fabric without altering the natural texture or color. Water runs off easily from the treated surface and dirt particles are washed off. Results have found that the Nano Products are ideal for Cotton, cotton blends, silk, jute, linen, Felt, wool blends, Polyester blend etc. etc.

India is a vast country; with multiple cultures and large population. I always felt that the population can used to create opportunities… Nanotechnology is an area which creates New Markets, New Opportunities and New products…

Some of the Applications on Fabric that people in India will look forward to are as under:

• Non-Toxic & Environmentally Friendly
• Easy to Apply & Handle
• Invisible
• Breathable
• Flexible & Soft
• Water and Dirt Repellent
• Stain, Weather & Friction Resistant
• hydrophobic
• oleophobic
• Anti-Soiling
• Protects against abrasion
• No tangible and visible change
• Antimicrobial protection
• Food safe

With Nanotechnology promising Market Ready Products we will be able to bring in consumer surplus creating easy-to-clean effect…. Or more popularly the lotus effect…

Lotus Effect


It is just a beginning; the Nano coated Fabric has created a great awareness among the manufacturers who are thirsting for a product of this nature which will take a great deal of easy-clean-effect to the end-users… As one of them said the shoppers will jump at this solution as the shirts, gowns, ties etc can now be kept neat and tidy with out the marks left by the spillovers….

Kudos to Nanotechnology products for bringing this Virtual Reality

Shiva Balivada
Founder, Managing Director & CEO

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