Nano-porous material halts BO via teabag-sized clothing tag

11 Jun '10

3 min read

New iron-on tags made from controlled carbon material eliminate under arm smells; military-grade nano-porous fibre is breath of fresh air for clothing manufacturers and image-conscious consumers.

A new underarm clothing tag which uses nano technology to harness and store the molecules responsible for body odour (BO) is to be launched as an alternative to deodorants to the industrial work wear and international clothing markets. The breakthrough invention from technical fabric innovators, Odegon Technologies, totally eliminates the antisocial odour resulting from human sweat via a 7cm x 4cm fabric tag housing a three-dimensional mesh of activated carbon material. The tag can either be designed into the armpit area of the garment by clothing manufacturers, or as a patch ironed on easily by consumers at home.

The soft, chemical-free, odourless, inert, non-allergenic and environmentally-friendly tags or patches remain permanently in place for the life of the garment where they perform regardless of the number of washes. Made from nano-porous carbon, the surface area of the 'active' inner material comprises multiple peaks and troughs, which, if stretched out would equal the dimensions of a full size tennis court. Polarised molecules from body odour are absorbed and permanently trapped within the material's nano structures by Van der Waals forces until the garment is cleaned, either by hand or machine washing or by dry cleaning, and the molecules are flushed out. The controlled material was patented in 1942 by the Ministry of Defence for use in gas masks to absorb harmful nerve gas and has been used in the production of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) suits and gas masks ever since.

Odegon tags are the brain child of father and son technical fabric expert and entrepreneur, Steve and Tom Rawlings. Shropshire-based Odegon Technologies was formed in 2010 with the revival of an innovation stemming from Steve Rawlings' 35-year career developing life saving filters and technical fabrics for the defence, North Sea diving, aerospace and automotive industries. “Odegon is a major breakthrough for the service industry and the millions worldwide who wish to put an end to body odour,” says Odegon Technologies managing director, Tom Rawlings. “Odegon tags were discovered whilst formulating new materials for special filters to protect military personnel from lethal nerve gases and agents. We were right to assume that if the material met CBRN suit requirements, it would be able to tackle BO. We are just starting to realise the potential of Odegon to diverse markets and applications and have received significant interest from corporate and retail clothing companies, particularly in Asian and European markets.”

Odegon Technologies was founded in 2010 by Steve and Tom Rawlings. Chairman Steve Rawlings spent over 35 years running companies involved in the development of technical protective fabrics for the defence, North Sea diving, aerospace and automotive industries. Tom Rawlings, Managing Director, worked until recently as a corporate banker in the City of London and launched Odegon Technologies upon realising the enormous business potential of Odegon tags. Odegon Technologies is based in Shropshire, UK and is developing further products.

Odegon Technologies

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