The Catalytic Clothing Project, sponsored by ECover, has developed a fabric which purifies the toxic air around it, and can be used for clothing, interiors and installations. The fabric reacts with light and air when exposed and neutralizes harmful pollutants around it, turning them into neutralized particles which are simply washed away by tossing the fabric in the laundry.
A photocatalyst, using energy derived from light, enables a reaction to proceed at a greater rate and the electrons in the material are rearranged in a way that they become more reactive and are able to react with the water in the air and break apart into two radicals. These radicals, then react with the pollutants and cause them to break down into non-harmful chemicals. In the final product, when the fabric comes in contact with air or water, the photocatalysts break down the pollutants they encounter, thus purifying the medium.
