Toray claims breakthrough for water repellency in outdoorwear
05/06/2019
The textile’s structure has microscopic slits running lengthwise on the yarn. Water repelling treatments fill these slits below the outside diameter of the yarn.
Toray says this construction enables the textile to use C6 water repellents and makes it more resistance to abrasion, which is a leading contributor to diminishing DWR performance.
Despite the slits, it has the strength and abrasion-resistance of other yarns and is processed in the same way.
Traditional fluorine-based water repellents do not easily decompose but contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), based on C8 chemistry, which could remain in the natural environment. There has been a growing demand for the less damaging C6-based water repellents (containing fewer fluorochemicals) but they have traditionally offered lower performance.
Toray will market the development in autumn 2020.
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