Chemists create 'water armor' that prevents stains and germs from sticking to clothing ‪

1. Chemistry

Chemists create 'water armor' that prevents stains and germs from sticking to clothing ‪

Material scientists in China have created a new kind of coating that keeps clothes clean without the need for wasteful detergents. It could reduce the water and electricity costs of doing laundry by 80%.

By Victoria Atkinson published 28 May 2026 in News

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

A new protective coating created by Chinese scientists coaxes water molecules into an armor-like configuration that largely prevents stains from forming on fabric. (Image credit: Communications Chemistry / Wang et al.)

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Reddit
• Pinterest
• Flipboard

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter

Scientists have invented a self-cleaning coating that prevents stains from food, oil or dirt from sticking to a fabric's surface, making the spots easy to remove without detergent or large amounts of water. The coating, which creates a protective ultrathin layer of water its developers call "molecular water armor," could reduce the water and electricity demand of household laundry by over 80%, new research suggests.

Washing clothes is a basic necessity of everyday life, but laundry has a huge environmental footprint because it produces vast amounts of wastewater. A single cycle in a household washing machine uses 10.5 to 16 gallons (40 to 60 liters) of clean water, while the detergents required to remove stains promote the release of microplastics from synthetic fibers and leave chemical residues in the discharged water.

Better detergents and more efficient washing machines are slowly reducing the ecological impact, but with an estimated 2.6 billion gallons (10 billion liters) of wastewater generated annually from laundry in China alone, there's a need for additional measures.

You may like

• Chemists discover groundbreaking reaction that turns breadcrumbs into hydrogen
• New water battery could last until the 24th century — and it can be safely discarded in the environment
• Clean hydrogen created from plastic waste using battery acid from old cars and solar power

In the new work, reported in the journal Communications Chemistry March 19, researchers tackled this problem from a completely different perspective, focusing on the design of the textiles themselves.

"Instead of relying on detergent to remove strongly attached dirt, we modify the textile surface so that stains do not adhere strongly in the first place," material scientists Chongling Cheng of Southeast University and Dayang Wang of Jilin University in China, both co-authors of the research, told Live Science in a joint email. "As a result, many common stains can be removed using water alone and a much shorter rinsing process."

"Molecular water armor"

The team, based at Southeast and Jilin universities in China, spray-coated alternating layers of positively and negatively charged polymers onto cotton, silk and polyester clothing. The resulting multilayer film formed a surface rich in sulfonate groups — sulfur-containing chemical units — which attracted and organized water molecules into an ultrathin layer on the fabric's surface.

"We sometimes describe this layer as a molecular 'water armour,'" Cheng and Wang said. "[It] acts as a barrier between the fabric and contaminants. Oils, food stains, sweat residues, and microorganisms find it difficult to make direct, strong contact with the coated fiber surface. Therefore, stains are much less strongly attached and can be removed by water flow, without the need for detergent." This contrasts with waterproof materials which simply allow water droplets to roll straight off, rather than producing a cleaning effect.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The researchers demonstrated this superior cleaning performance by pitting the new coating against conventional detergent-based washing to launder cloth soiled with ketchup, chili oil and soy sauce. It proved particularly effective for these oily surface stains, and the coated fabrics cleaned with just a single rinse — matching or outperforming the detergent wash for stain removal.

Various comparisons of stains on coated versus un-coated fabrics when washed with water or detergent. Even without detergent, the new coating helped remove stains with great efficiency.

(Image credit: Communications Chemistry / Wang et al.)

An analysis of the small amount of wastewater produced by the rinse wash also revealed that this additional layer drastically suppressed the release of microplastics during washing, trapping any stray particles within the coating itself.

Overall, the polymer layer substantially improved the environmental footprint of the laundry process; the team calculated that it reduced the water and electricity demand by more than 82% compared with a normal cycle. From a cost perspective, these stain-resistant fabrics are more expensive to manufacture than standard textiles, but the team noted that this upfront expenditure could be recouped in as few as 15 laundry cycles, depending on the cost of the detergent.

What to read next

• Chemistry student develops clear polish that turns your fingernail into a touch-screen stylus
• Antiseptic-tolerant germs spread through the air in hospitals, early study hints
• 'They are literally everywhere': The shocking story of how forever chemicals polluted the world

The coating also addresses laundry hygiene. The coated fabrics showed both antibacterial and antifungal effects, which are most likely related to the water armor barrier, Cheng and Wang said. The repellent surface prevents microbes, sweat and skin cells from adhering to the fabric, allowing them to be easily removed by rinsing. As a result, a quick soak completely eliminates odors and prevents the growth of mold or mildew, which can occur during prolonged storage.

Related stories

• Washing Machines May Sometimes Harbor Drug-Resistant Bacteria, Report Says
• Why are vinegar and baking soda so good for cleaning?
• Why does cotton shrink?

But convincing consumers of these clean credentials could prove challenging. "Many people associate detergent foam and fragrance with cleanliness, even though foam and fragrance are not necessarily direct measures of hygiene," Cheng and Wang said. "Therefore, we expect that consumer trust will require clear evidence, transparent testing, and practical demonstration."

The coating is still in the proof-of-concept stage. Preliminary investigations by the team have suggested that it is safe to use against skin and remains effective over more than 100 laundry cycles. Given the coating's nanoscale thickness, the team doesn't expect it to change the texture or breathability of treated clothing. However, a crucial next step will be to have consumers test the materials to validate their comfort and practicality in real-world settings.

"Commercialization will also require independent safety assessment, durability standards, [and] environmental lifecycle analysis," Cheng and Wang said. "Our current study demonstrates the central scientific principle. The next challenge is to translate this principle into a robust, affordable, and trusted product for everyday use."

Article Sources

Wang, R., Wang, H., Chen, Y., Cheng, C., & Wang, D. (2026). A versatile self-cleaning fabric coating as a detergent-free laundry product. Communications Chemistry, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-026-01942-7

TOPICS water Victoria AtkinsonSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor

Victoria Atkinson is a freelance science journalist, specializing in chemistry and its interface with the natural and human-made worlds. Currently based in York (UK), she formerly worked as a science content developer at the University of Oxford, and later as a member of the Chemistry World editorial team. Since becoming a freelancer, Victoria has expanded her focus to explore topics from across the sciences and has also worked with Chemistry Review, Neon Squid Publishing and the Open University, amongst others. She has a DPhil in organic chemistry from the University of Oxford.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Chemistry Chemists discover groundbreaking reaction that turns breadcrumbs into hydrogen Engineering New water battery could last until the 24th century — and it can be safely discarded in the environment    SPONSORED_LABEL SPONSORED_HEADLINE SPONSORED_DISCLAIMER SPONSORED_STRAPLINE Chemistry Clean hydrogen created from plastic waste using battery acid from old cars and solar power Chemistry Chemistry student develops clear polish that turns your fingernail into a touch-screen stylus    SPONSORED_LABEL SPONSORED_HEADLINE SPONSORED_DISCLAIMER SPONSORED_STRAPLINE Latest in Chemistry Chemistry 'Extreme' crystal that formed in 1945 nuclear bomb test is unlike anything scientists have seen Chemistry Clean hydrogen created from plastic waste using battery acid from old cars and solar power    SPONSORED_LABEL SPONSORED_HEADLINE SPONSORED_DISCLAIMER SPONSORED_STRAPLINE Chemistry 'They are literally everywhere': The shocking story of how forever chemicals polluted the world Chemistry Chemists discover groundbreaking reaction that turns breadcrumbs into hydrogen    SPONSORED_LABEL SPONSORED_HEADLINE SPONSORED_DISCLAIMER SPONSORED_STRAPLINE