Water-Repellent and Breathable Clothing
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Water-repellent and breathable clothing Functional clothing and materials Nina Forsman 24.9.2019 Hydrophobicity? < 90° > 90° > 150° hydrophilic hydrophobic superhydrophobic Surface hydrophobicity vs absorption Water-proof -> diving Water-repellent -> rain absorption Water-repellency is not a problem, neither breathability. It is the combination that is tricky. What makes a surface hydrophobic? 1. Low surface energy -> oils, waxes etc. 2. High surface roughness How is this achieved on textiles? Existing water-repellent textiles Membranes, e.g. GoreTex - Microporous structure of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon) Other microporous polymer membranes and coatings Polyurethane, acrylics, polyamino acids … Closely woven fabrics Ventile, Poplin Existing water-repellent textiles Biomimetic fabrics Stomatex, closed cell foam neoprene, mimicking transpiration in plant leaves Sympatex, membrane made of polyether-ester block copolymer Super-Microft, microscale roughness like the lotus leaf Shoe sprays Wax bars Fjällräven What about eco-friendliness? Water-resistant and breathable Unmodified textile Wax particles Continuous wax film H2O H2O H2O vapor vapor vapor H2O H2O liquid liquid H2O liquid Cellulosic textile 24.9.2019 8 Wax particles 10μm Carnauba wax Wax dispersion Images: www.ehow.com www.newdirectionsaromatics.com www.sonicator.com Layer-by-Layer deposition of the coating 24.9.2019 10 Natural polycations (binding agents) Poly-L-lysine (PLL) Chitosan Cationic starch - Protein - Comes from - Comes from potato, - Antibacterial and a shrimps shells rice, corn etc. bit hydrophobic - Reasonably priced - Naturally anionic - Expensive - Cheap - Used in the textile industry The wax particle coating water vapor Anionic wax water particles Cation, e.g. PLL, cationic starch Forsman et al, Carbohydrate Polymers, 2017, 173:392-402 24.9.2019 12 Curing temperature Curing at 70 °C gives the highest contact angle, but better long-time water- resistance is achieved with melted particles The modified textiles repel water well 24.9.2019 14 Water-resistance tests Hydrostatic head Spray test sample result (scale 0-5) 2BL PLL/wax, 105 °C 2-3 2BL PLL/wax, 70 °C 2-3 2BL CS/wax, 105 °C 1-2 commercial shoe spray 1-2 17 cm The fabric itself also affect the results Ref = untreated Breathability reference S = shoe spray G = thin layer Greenland wax GG = thick layer Greenland wax W70 = wax particles, cured at 70 °C W105 = wax particles cured at 105 °C Water contact angle = = angle contact hydrophobicity Water Water vapor permeability = breathability = permeability vapor Water Wax particle coating best Greenland wax compromise between water-repellency and breathability Long term water-repellency Morphology: SEM images Reference 2BL PLL/wax 2BL+ 105C Cotton Linen 24.9.2019 18 Surface roughness of the textiles The surface roughness of the textiles adds to the hydrophobicity Working with our method Not washable with detergents The coating cane be applied by dipping, spraying or brushing Pigments can be added to the wax dispersion Design: Matilda Tuure Photos: Valeriya Azovskaya 24.9.2019 21 Other methods found in literature Fluorocarbons, nanoparticles and silica Food for thought o What are the properties of the material - In terms of the application (clothing)? - In terms of the environment? o What level of functionality do we need? o Durability and persistence, what is desirable and what is not? Designers decide what we wear, not engineers. Summary - Low surface energy + high surface roughness - Non-toxic, breathable and water-resistant textiles using wax particles on cellulose - Utilization of the intrinsic properties of the fabric. How can design help? Thank you! Questions? 24.9.2019 24.