While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Traditionally, manufacturers have dyed denim jeans blue by dipping them in a solution containing indigo powder.
- Indigo doesn’t dissolve in just water, so manufacturers must mix hazardous chemicals with water to dissolve the powder.
- Textile researcher Smriti Rai discovered a process for dyeing blue jeans without chemicals.
- Rai added indigo powder to a hydrogel containing nanocellulose and produced a dye that could be spread directly onto the denim.
- Nanocellulose is a natural, plant-based substance that separates the molecules of indigo powder.