New self-cleaning fabric developed in California

A new self-cleaning fabric that can kill bacteria holds much promise for fields ranging from health care to food processing. Developed by scientists at the University of California at Davis, the new cotton also breaks down toxic chemicals like pesticide residues when exposed to light. “The new fabric has potential applications in biological and chemical protective clothing for health care, food processing and farm-workers, as well as military personnel," said Ning Liu, a doctoral student in Professor Gang Sun’s group in the UC Davis Division of Textiles and Clothing. Other members of the team included Gang Sun and Jing Zhu. UC Davis said Liu developed a method to incorporate a compound, 2-anthraquinone carboxylic acid (2-AQC), into cotton fabrics. The chemical bonds strongly to the cellulose in cotton, making it difficult to wash off, yet does not affect the properties of the fabric. When exposed to light, 2-AQC produces "reactive oxygen species" such as hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide that can kill bacteria and break down organic compounds such as pesticides and other toxins. Although the compound is expensive, the scientists who worked on the new fabric believe there are cheaper alternatives. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Jastro Shields Graduate Research Fellowship from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. — LBG, GMA News