Scientists Create Algae-Based Clothing That Can Grow and Regenerate
PLANET & ENVIRONMENT science
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Written by Julia Mothu|The clothes of the future are here. American and Dutch researchers have developed a photosynthetic "living" textile that allows a garment to reform itself in the event of holes and to grow with the person wearing it.
AdvertisementImagine clothes whose size would adapt perfectly to the evolution of your body and whose holes caused by wear would eventually regenerate without human intervention. We all dream about it, right? Well rejoice: in a few years, these clothes of the future could well find their place in our wardrobes. Thanks to a 3D printer, seaweed powder, bacterial cellulose and a good dose of intelligence, scientists from the University of Rochester (New York) and Delft (Netherlands) have managed to create a 100% biodegradable "living" textile.
If it comes to market one day, it could mark a turning point in the (very) polluting fashion industry - in Europe alone, it is estimated that 4 million tonnes of clothing go to waste each year, recalls Franceinfo.
@BJCalvillo even then all they can do pretty much is prescribe you something n tell you to eat good fatty foods to… https://t.co/E6j7pihtce
— the void Mon Tue 18 02:18:19 +0000 2019
Robust clothing that regenerates itself
Published in the scientific journal Advances Materials, the study of these researchers reveals that these clothes designed from algae are able to regenerate themselves thanks to photosynthesis, this biochemical reaction which takes place in plants and which makes it possible to convert CO2 in oxygen. Thanks to the light of the sun and the nutrients on which it feeds, the garment would therefore be able to reform itself, without needles and spools of thread, even if a gaping hole deforms it.
This process also allows the garment to adapt to the body of the wearer. For example, a growing child could keep his t-shirt for several years, because it would grow with him. The same goes for people who gain or lose weight.
This is the first time that this photosynthetic material has performed well enough to be deployed "in real-world applications", even underlines the American biologist Anne Meyer, who contributed to the study. Very robust, this living textile retains its physical integrity for a minimum of three days without any nutrients.
A useful textile, especially for skin grafts
In addition to being biodegradable and capable of regenerating itself, the researchers believe that this new textile could be used to help people in need of skin grafts. "The oxygen generated by the garment would help stimulate the healing of the damaged skin area, or may be able to allow light-activated healing", summarizes Anne Meyer.
The (severe) burn victims could therefore also benefit from this scientific prowess which, we hope, will invest the fast-fashion industry without too much delay. Especially since the making of this living material is guaranteed "ultra-fast" by scientists, thanks to the 3D printer. The latter can come in different forms, such as threads. It would therefore be possible to integrate them with industrial machines used commercially.
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