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Conspicuous Regeneration: Concepts for Microplastic-Eating and Self-Healing Threads
Summary
This conceptual preprint proposes three architectures for regenerative textile threads: lotus-effect transient threads with sacrificial hydrophobic sheaths, microplastic-degrading 'Uno Reverse' threads embedding plastic-degrading enzymes or biology, and speculative living self-healing threads. The authors introduce the concept of 'conspicuous regeneration,' positioning luxury textiles as small-scale distributed environmental remediation systems.
This conceptual preprint proposes three architectures for regenerative textile threads: (1) lotus-effect transient threads with sacrificial hydrophobic sheaths, (2) microplastic-eating "Uno Reverse" threads embedding plastic-degrading biology or enzymes, and (3) speculative living, self-maintaining threads inspired by microbial self-healing materials. The aim is to introduce "conspicuous regeneration": using luxury goods not merely as durable status objects but as small, distributed environmental remediation systems. This work outlines conceptual frameworks for materials scientists, microbiologists, designers, and industry partners interested in exploring regenerative textiles.