Nanotechnology application in fabric could reduce the need for heating

A metallic textile could be so efficient at keeping us warm it may banish the need for indoor heating entirely -- or significantly reduce it, according to new research out of Stanford University in the US.

A metallic textile could be so efficient at keeping us warm it may banish the need for indoor heating entirely -- or significantly reduce it, according to new research out of Stanford University in the US.

Embedded with metallic nanowires, the fabric keeps a person warm by reflecting infrared radiation from the human body -- in other words, it traps your body heat and builds on it.

The cloth is both durable and entirely breathable, according to the research, because the nanowires have a porous structure.

Should these textiles come into play, it's possible they could contribute to a decrease energy spending, increase health and reduce the ecological impact of extracting resources such as oil, coal and natural gas.

The researchers, whose paper was published in the journal of the American Chemical Society, call their solution 'personal thermal management.'

Although the Stanford team's textile is thought to be the first of its kind using nanotechnology, the fact that metal-mesh textiles are able to reflect body warmth is not an entirely new concept.

Award-winning Ski Metal socks from Switzerland-based X-Socks employ an innovation called XITANIT, whose synthetic fibers have a metallic finish that heats in a manner similar to that of the Stanford team's textile, although they are not crafted on the nanoscale. The technology used in X-Socks, priced at €50, is also breathable, for the company claims the fabric creates an air channel that filters moist, overheated air out of the footwear.