The fabric then reattaches, effectively repairing itself. The thin coating uses squid ring teeth to aid torn and ripped fabrics in binding together and repairing themselves.
Advertisement
The research team from Penn State utilized liquefied squid teeth protein to coat wool, cotton and other fabrics. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University produced a fabric-coating technology that had its origin from squid ring teeth that make traditional textiles to exercise autonomous fix. The Mother Nature Network reported that the team of researchers published their findings in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. They are made up entirely of proteins and they have the “ability to transition from a rubber to a solid”.
“Fashion designers use natural fibers made of proteins like wool or silk that are expensive and they are not self-healing”, said Penn State Professor Melik C. Demirel. He added, “They are not self-healing”. This means an item of clothing with the coating could be repaired by simply putting it in a washing machine.
Scientists have created a special fabric that meshes together when water and a bit of pressure are applied.
This unique fabric-coating technology is result of an effort to make self-healing fabrics using traditional textiles.
Thanks to science, the days of throwing out your favorite clothes due to rips or tears may soon come to an end.
According to the researchers, the coating could protect farmers from exposure to organophosphate pesticides, soldiers from chemical or biological attacks, and factory workers from accidental releases of toxic materials.
As Popular Science explains, scientists discovered that squid ring teeth – the tiny teeth found along the suction cups on a squid’s tentacles – contain a protein that, when made into a liquid form using yeast and bacteria, can help fabrics like cotton and wool fix itself.
According to Demirel, the coating, at under a micron in thickness, is so thin that it “wouldn’t be noticed in everyday wear”.
Advertisement
Stitching torn pants may soon become a thing of the past as scientists have discovered a way to make textile “heal” itself by just adding water. “But we could do the threads first, before manufacturing if we wanted to”.
