NID students develop self-cleaning,fire-resistant tent

During their two-month internship at the Institute of Plasma Research (IPR) in Gandhinagar,they developed a working prototype.

They said the tent’s ability to generate solar energy is because of the use of “organic or plastic films of solar cells that are mainly based on nano particles and polymers”. These have been connected to LEDs fixed on the tent’s interiors.

Fluoro-carbon coating makes the tent water-proof and the use of photocatalytic titanium dioxide gives the tent material its self-cleaning and anti-bacterial property.

“A fabric coated with photocatalytic titanium dioxide,although allowing the oily dust and stains to stick to the fabric,acts efficiently to decompose the dirt when exposed to sunlight for few hours,thus making the fabric clean and stain-free,” the two wrote in their project report.

According to the two,the tent’s fire-resistant properties are due to the use of phosphorus-based compounds in the material.

The two students plan to contact the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),adding that they are gauging inputs from experts at Reliance Industries,Arvind Mills and Manmade Textile Research Association (MANTRA) in Surat.