TLI Staff
New Delhi: In a big leap forward in hygiene technology, a scientist from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur has developed a sticky mat which takes away dust from a contacting surface.
Its use would help ensure a clean, healthy and refreshing atmosphere at house, hospitals and offices. The new washable mat would also enable smooth functioning of many expensive types of equipment in laboratories.
“The mat is a low-cost one and remains washable and usable over many cycles,” said an official release from Ministry of Science & Technology.
Animangsu Ghatak from the Department of Chemical Engineering IIT Kanpur, who developed the mat with the support of Department of Science & Technology took inspiration from adhesive pad present at the feet of wall climbing animals like house lizards.
The adhesive associated makes use of nanoscopic pyramidal bumps on its surface to attract dust particles towards it thereby cleaning the sole of footwear when one steps on it.
When the adhesive gets completely covered with particulate matter, it is washed just like ordinary clothes. At this, the surface gets back its ability to stick and remains usable through hundreds of such cycles.
“The scientists have used a bottom-up approach of preparation of nano-to micro-patterned surface on elastomer over a large area, control of geometry of surface patterns by simple methods, washability, and reusability of the adhesive over many cycles for the development of this mat,” the statement said.
The new technology has been validated and an Indian patent application has been filed for the sticky mat.
“It is simple to prepare, easy to wash, environmentally benign, cost-effective, and can be a replacement for materials imported for the same purpose. The closest substitute is the 3M sticky pad that is not washable or reusable,” said the press note.
The mat can be used in ICU of Hospitals, clean rooms, facilities housing sophisticated equipment as a component of air filters.
The technology is important wherever cleanliness and hygiene is desired. The product is in 7-8 level of technology readiness level and is yet to be commercialised.
The Science and Technology Ministry said that a pilot plant is being built to make the material at large scale.
In a separate development, scientists have found a new Lead (Pb) free material which can efficiently convert waste heat to power our small home equipment and automobiles.
The thermoelectric energy conversion allows generation of electrical voltage when one end of a material is heated while keeping the other side cold.
“Finding an efficient material to realize this scientific principle has been a daunting task for scientists. It entails fitting in three seemingly different properties into a single material — high electrical conductivity of metals, high thermoelectric sensitivity of semiconductors, and low thermal conductivity of glasses.