The American Chemical Society reports that Chinese scientists have developed a cotton fabric that cleans itself of stains when exposed to sunlight. This is an upgrade from similar previous fabrics, which needed to be exposed to ultraviolet rays. The new fabric is coated with nanoparticles made from a compound of titanium dioxide and nitrogen. The presence of silver and iodine in the dispersing nanoparticles accelerates the discoloration process in the presence of sunlight. In tests, the material removed a stain of orange dye in the sunlight, and the coating remained intact even after washing and drying. The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Donghua University, Shanghai.

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