Spray-on Fabrics for Instant Clothing

Added by Monique Robinson on September 25, 2010

Manel Torres, a designer, and Paul Luckham, a professor of particle technology at London’s Imperial College, revealed their garment technology invention as fabrics which could be sprayed on to skin.

In the Imperial College lab, Torres sprayed a T-shirt on a model in only a few minutes and exhibited his unique fabric creation process. Luckham and Torres claim that not only clothes, bandages and wipes,but also car and furniture upholstery can be created by spraying on to surfaces other than skin. The benefits of this technology are multifold. Clothes can be washed and re-used, and moreover, the clothing is instant and within affordable prices. The material can be dissolved, recycled and sprayed on again.

Polymers are mixed with short fibers of wool, acrylic or linen to bind them. This is put together in a solvent which can be sprayed as a liquid on to different surfaces. The solvent then evaporates to leave the fabric behind. The liquid can be sprayed from an aerosol can or any high-pressure spray gun. A number of layers of the spray can be applied to vary the texture of the cloth. This fabric can be dissolved back into the solvent and used again. The liquid is germ free as it is stored in an aerosol can and hence can be used for making bandages and sterile dusters.

More research is in progress to make different kinds of fabrics for multiple uses and also to increase convenience of use by making these fabrics washable in washing machines.