Textile
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Bacteria-produced leather is already an eco-friendly alternative to its cow-derived counterpart, but it could soon be even eco-friendlier. Scientists have gotten the microbes to color the stuff themselves, eliminating the need for toxic dyes.
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Custom-fit clothing is usually quite expensive, but perhaps it doesn't have to be. MIT's 4D Knit Dress is an example of a new type of clothing that a robot could selectively shrink to fit the wearer, perhaps right in the store.
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While there are already clothing materials that help keep wearers cool simply by allowing heat to escape, an experimental new fabric coating goes a step further. Utilizing a whole bunch of nanodiamonds, it actually draws heat away from the body.
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Scientists believe lightweight, ultra-strong and flexible spider silk is now one step closer to commercial use thanks to a deceptively complex 'box' that can spin nature's wonder fiber in a "spontaneous, extremely rapid, and highly reproducible" way.
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Electrically conductive "smart fabrics" have many potential applications, but their specialized fibers typically aren't as soft and flexible as those made of regular materials. An experimental new fiber, however, is both flexible and conductive.
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Hospitals are meant to heal people, but patients often pick up superbugs during their stay. Scientists have now developed long-lasting antimicrobial coatings for textiles that could allow hospital curtains to quickly kill viruses and bacteria.
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So-called "bonded leather" is really just leather fibers mixed with eco-unfriendly polyurethane or PVC. reProLeather, on the other hand, converts leather waste into what is claimed to be a recyclable, biodegradable, new-leather-like material.
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Is your scarf really made from cashmere? Is that necktie truly silk? Such questions may soon have an easy answer via a pass with your cell phone's camera thanks to a tiny near-infrared spectroscopy system developed by researchers in Germany.
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Researchers have developed a way of recycling polyester. Their new method is simple, non-toxic for humans and the environment and, what’s more, it preserves the integrity of the cotton removed from the fabric so that it’s ready for reuse.
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To develop a heat-trapping fabric, researchers looked to polar bears, who thrive in incredibly low temperatures. The secret, they found, has to do with a relationship between the bears' hollow translucent hair and the black skin that lies beneath.
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While there are already garments which cool or warm their wearer via circulating liquids, those garments tend to be equipped with cumbersome, noisy pumps. An experimental new system, on the other hand, uses interwoven tubular fibers as pumps.
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Scientists have announced an interesting new means of removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas emissions, which would create a usable substance. It's a sheet of treated cotton, which converts CO2 gas into bicarbonate.
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