Iron-on nano clothing tags pose competition for deodorant category

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Body odor

UK company Odegon Technologies has launched an underarm clothing tag aimed at preventing body odor, thanks to a nanomaterial developed with enhanced absorption properties.

The company says the product is being launched as an alternative to conventional deodorants and could be specified as part of clothing design or as an iron-on addition to suit individual requirements.

The design could have specific applications either for individuals who suffer from body odor, or else individuals that work in physically exerting professions, the company claims.

Tea bag-sized tags

The tag itself measures around 7cm x 4cm, comprises a three-dimensional mesh of activated carbon material, and test results suggest that the material can help eliminate all types of body odors, particularly in the armpit area.

The tag is chemical-free, with its functionality being derived from a specially developed nanomaterial that has enhanced absorption qualities thanks to the surface area of the inner material.

This inner material contains ‘peaks and troughs’, which can stretch to the dimensions of a tennis ball, underlining its significant liquid absorption properties.

Trapping body odor

Body odor is in turn trapped within the material’s nano structure by Van Der Waals forces (attractive or repulsive forces between molecules), which is retained until the garment is washed.

The company says that the material has been developed to maintains its full functionality after numerous washes - either dry cleaning, machine washing or hand washing - after which the sweat molecules are washed out.

Although the material was developed by the UK ministry of defence in 1942, the tags themselves are the brainchild of father and son technical fabric experts Steven and Tom Rawlings.

Related topics Formulation & Science

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