Jelle Ursem
Thanks for this, now we'll be haunted by awful 'diamond finish' laundry detergent ads until this is actually a reality :P
jonoxn
Is this a problem in other countries? I grew up in New Zealand and live in Japan. I have never seen a hot-wash in either country.
ChrisGn
It's all very well improving detergents to work at lower and lower temperatures to reduce energy costs, but do these lower temperatures really clean clothes/bedding properly. What I am referring to is things like dust mites and the multitude of other minuscule creepy crawlies that infest all of our clothes/bedding in their millions. Unless I'm mistaken, no detergent that is safe to use will kill these, only washing at 50C or above will do this. Let's not forget that 60% of asthma sufferers are allergic to dust mites and that there appears to be some correlation between an increase in asthma sufferers and the lowering of washing temperatures.
NK Fro
Chris, dryers operate at temperatures higher than 50 degree C.
Matt Taylor
A the risk of sounding sexist, now diamonds really are a girls best friend. ;-)
Mirmillion
So, if the nano-diamonds break away from the wax crystals after liberating them from the fabric, do the nan-diamonds simply disappear down the drain or can they, in some fashion, be re-used?
sieler
What percentage of the diamonds remain in the clothes? What is the impact, if any, "down the line"? (e.g., in sewage treatment plants and afterwards)
SilverBee
Mirmillion, not only can they be reused but what are they doing in the water supply? I think there is some serious discussion about all the nanoparticles going into the environment from any number of sources. As gung-ho as I am about nanotechnology and its possibilities, I think this question ought to be answered, and soon.
Fretting Freddy the Ferret pressing the Fret
It goes down the drain.
What kind of surfactant molecule is used to attach to the diamond to form the colloids? I get that they're charge-stabilized.
Sergius
Perhaps, then, a large nanodiamond filter could help in the capture of oil that has leaked out into the sea.