Clothing Created to Block Flu, Colds

May 9, 2007 — -- Would you like a coat that can snatch viruses out of the air before they can give you a cold?

How about a shirt that eats smog, letting you breathe clean air? Or a dress that destroys harmful bacteria and even protects you from toxic gases?

And wouldn't it be nice if you never had to wash your duds again?

Well, guess what? Scientists and engineers and a clever design student at Cornell University have come up with clothes that do all of that and more.

"Initially we were just doing this for fun," said chemical engineer Juan Hinestroza, who specializes in fiber science. But as soon as a couple of outfits designed by Olivia Ong hit the runway during a fashion show at Cornell, it became a lot more than just fun.

"We didn't think this was going to make a big noise, but it has," Hinestroza said. He's already been called in to brief the military on the project, because clothes that protect against all kinds of poisons could be priceless during chemical or biological warfare.

Unfortunately, at this point priceless is pretty much where it stands. The two outfits created by Ong cost thousands of bucks, but once the technology is perfected that should come down.

The garments are unique in that they are coated with microscopic nanoparticles designed to capture viruses and bacteria, but you wouldn't know that if you just looked at them. They look like glitzy outfits that expand the realm of "functional clothing."

The project began when Ong, who will graduate in December, approached Hinestroza with what he first thought was a "crazy idea." Ong said that she was familiar with nanotechnology and that she wondered whether it could somehow be incorporated into her fashion line, which she calls Glitterati. The idea sprang from the years when she lived in Los Angeles and had to breathe all that smog.

"There's a lot of pollution and smog, and I thought it would be interesting if we could use technology and clothing to prevent it," she said. So she took her request to Hinestroza's lab.