Silver News

‘Nano-Shirt’ From Thai Clothing Maker Aims to Help Economy

Thailand’s United Textile Mills is introducing the latest entry into the world of deodorizing garments with its silver-based nano-shirt to be sold under the trade name I-Tex. The shirt will help keep the country’s textile industry competitive with clothing makers worldwide.

“The nano-silver stops bacterial growth by more than 90 percent,” said Supot Hannongbua, director of Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Metallurgy and Material Science, one of the shirt’s developers. Although the price of the new clothing has not yet been set, it is expected to cost about 15 percent more than regular clothes.

To create the nano-silver particles, the research team – which included scientists from Thailand’s Science and Technology Ministry’s National Innovation Agency – had produced silver atoms with a size of less than 100 nanometers. Once introduced into textiles, the silver atoms penetrated the fabric and attached strongly to the fibers. It can handle 30 to 50 washings before the biocide’s effects diminish.

Although manufacturers in Japan, the United States and other countries already produce silver-imbedded shirts designed to inhibit germ growth, this is said to be the first for a major Thai clothing maker. Apart from producing nano-silver clothes under its own brand, the company also plan to market silver-based fabrics for other garment manufacturers.

Science Minister Korn Thapparansi said during the product announcement that nanotechnology would be crucial to improving the competitive level of Thai goods. By putting nanotechnology into textiles, it will be possible to create new kinds of cloth with higher added value, he said. Last year, Thailand’s textile industries generated almost US$ 6 billion.

United Textile Mills, Ltd., founded in 1989, is one of Thailand’s leading textile companies with facilities in Nakornpathom, Thailand, just outside of Bangkok.

Silver News - Fourth Quarter 2005