Nano-Tex
(NHI Nanoblog) Nanotechnology is a hot trend in clothes, from gym socks with anti-stink capabilities to chinos that repel those occasional coffee spills. Now the nano-textile industry is getting even more intimate: Bra behemoth Maidenform has inked a deal with a major fabric maker.
According to a Maidenform Brands, Inc., press release, the company — which makes a host of lingerie and shapewear, as well as pajamas and swimsuits — will work with Nano-Tex, Inc., a major player in the nano-fabric field. Maidenform will use the company’s “Neutralizer” fabric, which promises to stop odor in its tracks.
Nanotechnology leverages tiny size (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter) to create super-products. These materials can make bike frames lighter and stronger, or sunscreen more transparent on the skin. But shrinking these substances changes their properties; scientists and regulators are struggling to figure out whether that shift makes them dangerous in the process.
Unlike some nano fabrics, which use nanosilver as an antimicrobial agent, Nano-Tex fabric claims to block stink with “nano structures” in the fabric itself. There is no added substance, just ultra-tiny pockets that capture and hold on to the smelly molecules coming off a sweaty body (a graphic rendering from the company is above). The odor then washes out when you throw the garment into the laundry.
There’s no word yet from Maidenform about whether the fabric will be used just for athletic wear, such as sports bras, or whether we can expect to see these pockets in everyday undergarments.