Copper alloys battle foot odor - Nonferrous
November 30, 2007 – 8:00 amAmorphous copper alloys have found a new application in footwear.
An insole coated with a particular copper alloy can be very effective against germs and foot odor. It was developed and is being marketed by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Tokyo, jointly with two footwear manufacturers, Apatite Co. and Morito Co.
The bacteria-killing and odor-preventing insole, only one-eighth of an inch thick, is made of a non-woven fabric coated with an amorphous copper alloy and impregnated with vinyl, according to Mitsui officials. Copper ions contained in the amorphous alloy function against germs and odor, including those germs that cause athlete’s foot.
The new insole, marketed under the name “Amorphous In-Sole,” works for far longer than chemical-based absorbant insoles, Mitsui said.
Mitsui said it expects to sell 200,000 insoles in the first year, with a fivefold increase in sales projected in three years.
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