The Clothing of the Future is Here (1)

Nanotechnology is changing clothing as we know it

Imagine odorless socks and clothes that respond to the climate. Or what about clothing that washes itself? Sound impossible? Well, futuristic clothing like this is here.

Why nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology has been used in clothing since 1998. And recently, more and more companies have started incorporating nano-enhanced properties into their clothing. Why? The increasing demand for more sophisticated clothing is the driving factor behind using nanotechnology in fabrics.

What's it all about?

Nanotechnology involves adding nanoparticles to fabric. When they add them to material, manufacturers move around the atoms and molecules, which changes the characteristics of the fabric. As a result, clothes using nanotechnology have special features like UV protection, wrinkle resistance and more.

Antibacterial fabrics

Manufacturers are also adding silver nanoparticles to clothing. Why? They kill bacteria that cause clothes to become smelly. In addition, they help the clothes stay soft and last longer.

Silica for water and stain resistance

Some companies are adding nanoparticles of silica into the weave of the fabric. Others are spraying the surface of the material with silica nanoparticles. Both techniques create a waterproof coating that prevents stains.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Climate vs. Weather 教學主題: 氣候與天氣的差別

Many people use climate and weather interchangeably, but there are some differences between these two terms.

The main difference is time; weather is used to refer to the state of the atmosphere and region at the specific point in time, whereas climate is measured over a long period.

And how long, is a long period? Maybe around 30 years, that’s the link of time the US National Weather Service set for researchers to come up with the climate of a given region.

Weather, in contrast, is short term day to day, real time.

If you’re talking to someone faraway on the telephone, you might ask the person, “Hey how’s the weather over there?” meaning the atmosphere or the condition where the person is at that moment.

And you may get the response, “it’s nice and sunny out or it’s pouring.”

But if you’re thinking about moving to a place faraway, you might want to first ask a local resident how’s the climate over there?

And the person might reply “in the winter you can expect to be cold and snowy, and in the summer breathy and mild”.

Right, and here’s a good way to remember the difference between climate and weather. Climate helps you decide what clothes to buy, weather helps you decide what clothes to wear.

Language Lab
enhance v.
to increase or improve (something)
- The charity campaign enhanced the reputation of the enterprise.
- After the coach changed his strategy, the team's performance was greatly enhanced.

sophisticated adj.
having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art, literature, etc.;
attractive to fashionable or sophisticated people
- The bride's wearing a beautiful and sophisticated wedding gown.
- Helen Mirren plays a sophisticated lady in the movie.
highly developed and complex
- a sophisticated security system

antibacterial adj.
able to kill bacteria
- antibacterial hand gel
- antibacterial soaps
antistatic adj.
- antistatic hairbrush

waterproof adj.
designed to prevent water from entering or passing through
- waterproof jacket

resistant adj.
opposed to something : wanting to prevent something from happening — usually + to
- People are often resistant to change.
- water-resistant cloth
- a water-resistant watch

driving factor

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