Acquisition shows Devan is serious about apparel
01/10/2008
The Devan Chemicals Group has acquired the Portuguese company Micropolis SA. Micropolis, based in Porto, is a spin-off of Minho University and is specialised in microencapsulation and hydrogel technology.
Dr Anna Harvey, Devan's business development manager for the apparel industry, told sportstextiles.com: “As a company we are extremely excited about this new technology and, because of its excellent performance and durability, we see it opening up a plethora of new applications in apparel especially in ‘close to the skin’ applications where wash durability is essential and, of course, the benefits of thermoregulation are key.”
She said the acquisition demonstrated Devan’s eagerness to become a leader in innovative specialty textile technologies.
The Devan group says its research and development department is the core of the company and argues that the development of intelligent textiles is the best form of defence for the European textile industry against textile imports from lower cost economies.
The patented technology of Micropolis allows the fixation of microcapsules on any type of textile (cellulosic, synthetic, natural fibres and so on) without the use of binder. This technology imparts wash durability with still a very soft hand.
The major application is phase change material (PCM), which can absorb heat when the temperature goes up, storing this energy temporarily inside the microcapsule, and release the energy as heat when the temperature cools down.
The new technology involves the application of PCM microcapsules with functional reactive groups which can be applied by any conventional textile process such as padding, exhaustion or spraying processes. The chemical bond of the microcapsules with the fibres confers a very high resistance to washing during the life time of the article. In this way, this process avoids usual the disadvantages caused by either the need to use binders or having to incorporate the PCM in dedicated fibres such as acrylic fibres.
The major advantages are:
• Retaining a good hand of the textile
• Maintaining permeability to perspiration
• Application to any type of fibres or blends
• Greater thermal capacity
• Excellent wash durability
Textiles treated with the µ-encapsulated PCM will confer a thermo-physiological comfort to the wearer, providing a cool material for a hot environment and simultaneously a warm material for a cold environment.
This is another important stage in the expansion of the Devan group and brings new opportunities in the introduction of new functionalities for “smart textiles”
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