Graduates' textiles combine wool and precious metals

Dr Fern Kelly and Dr Kerstin Burridge completed parallel research projects that pioneered a way of embedding tiny nanoparticles of gold and silver in New Zealand wool, resulting in colourful textiles that have functional and aesthetic benefits. Kelly worked with silver and Burridge with gold.

When the precious metals are reduced to the nanoscale, they scatter light in different colours with silver appearing as yellow, peach, pink and purple, and gold producing a range of brilliant hues. That means textiles in many colours can be created without using traditional — and mostly synthetic — dyes.

Repeated testing by Kelly and Burridge has shown that the gold and silver are bound to the wool with an ultra-strong bond, making the textiles totally colourfast and ensuring they do not fade in light or with repeated washing.

In addition, the textile products incorporating silver nanoparticles have strong anti-microbial properties, meaning they resist bacteria and pests, such as moth larvae, that live in carpets. They also reduce the build-up of static electricity.