Activated natural zeolites on textiles: Protection from radioactive contamination

Abstract

Clothing designed to protect against radioactive contamination was based on a simple principle. It was important not to inhale contaminated dust and air and to ensure that contaminated particles could not reach the skin. Therefore, the density of the textile was crucial. New developments, keeping in mind that textile should be lightweight, are focused on textiles which can chemically bind the contamination particles and not allow them either to diffuse to the skin or spread back into the environment. A great success would be if the clothing were made reusable (e.g., for use in the space station). Therefore, new methods (or chemical preparations) are being proposed for developing intelligent textiles. Activated natural zeolite clinoptilolite is microporous hydrated aluminosilicates crystals with well-defined structures containing AlO 4 and SiO 4 tetrahedral linked through the common oxygen atoms. It is a nontoxic substance, excellent for adsorption of proteins and small molecules such as glucose. Due to its cation exchange ability, it has catalytic properties and has multiple uses in medicine, industry, agriculture, water purification and detergents. Applied on textiles it provides excellent UV-R and microbe protection. Therefore, the present chapter discusses attempts to modify cotton fabrics with natural zeolite nanoparticles for imparting the ability to protect from radioactive contamination. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.