06 October 2024
Making textiles water-repellent Water-repellent Textile Treatments: Advantages and Durable Alternatives to Fluorocarbon
A lot of textile materials are treated to then give them a water-repellent property. The fabric will then not absorb the water, but the water will slide off the fabric. You will recognise this by the drops that bead on the fabric and slide off. There are various techniques and chemicals used for this.
Fluorocarbon treatment to make textiles water-repellent
One of the most common treatments used to make a fabric water-repellent is fluorocarbon treatment, in which fluorocarbon polymers are applied to the fibres. This creates a water-repellent layer that prevents water or other liquids from penetrating the fabric. This treatment is very effective and works well for repelling water, oil and other liquids. This includes sauces and preparations containing fat and oil that sometimes end up on fabrics, often seats, such as mayonnaise, ketchup etc., but also soft drinks or alcoholic beverages (think of wine). This makes the treated textile extremely suitable for use in wet conditions, such as in raincoats, skiwear, professional protective clothing and outdoor textiles.
Disadvantages of fluorocarbon in textiles
The use of fluorocarbons has one major drawback, namely their negative environmental impact. Most fluorocarbon compounds, especially those from the group of perfluorocarbons (PFCs), are not biodegradable. PFCs include thousands of substances, but the best known are PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulphonic acid). PFCs are often called "forever chemicals" because they do not degrade naturally and accumulate in the environment. Certain legislation, certificates, labels (e.g. OEKO-TEX) etc., force us to start looking for alternatives.
Thus, there is talk of C8, C6 and even C0, but what is the difference? The "C" stands for "carbon" and the numbers next to it represent the number of carbon chains. C8 contains: for example, perfluorooctane sulphonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). C6 is a shorter chain with 6 instead of 8 carbon chains and breaks down more easily, but still contains fluorine (PFAS). C0 is fluorine-free and fully sustainable, but can only serve as a water repellent. This C0 is currently being constantly renewed and improved so that it can perform better and better against water and dirt.
What are fluorine-free water-repellent treatments?
Because of the environmental problems and growing concerns in recent years, more and more efforts are being made to develop PFC-free or fluorine-free alternatives. At Finipur, we are pushing hard for this. Together with research centres and chemical companies from all over the world, we are looking for new treatments without fluorocarbons but still offering a similar performance. We can already offer these sustainable alternatives with similar functional benefits at Finipur without the negative impact on the environment. There are currently several avenues being pursued in the search for fluorine-free treatments. These include silicone-based treatments, which create a hydrophobic layer on textiles. There are also several natural alternatives, such as beeswax or paraffin, which can make fabrics temporarily hydrophobic. Polyurethane coatings can also achieve similar results, but without the harmful effects of PFAS. Innovative coatings are also being designed that use biodegradable polymers to treat textiles.
Future of fluoride-free treatments
Still, there are some challenges... Fluorine-free treatments offer a lot of advantages in terms of sustainability and environmental impact. But if we look at performance or functional performance, we see at present that these new treatments do not yet score as well on every level as the older and more harmful fluorine-based techniques. After all, the textile not only has to be water- or dirt-repellent, but abrasion and durability are also important. And that is where all new developments do not yet score equally well. But hard work is being done on this, also by Finipur and its partners. Constant innovation in materials and chemical processes offers hope for the future, and as technology develops further, we can expect fluorine-free treatments to play an increasingly important role in the production of water-repellent textiles. And this without the harmful effects on the environment. Finipur, way to a greener future...
At Finipur, we already have several projects running in outdoor textiles, medical textiles, technical textiles, sports textiles, footwear,... And for each sector or application, there are different requirements and expectations, and thanks to our expertise, we find the right solution for every challenge. So contact us for your project too.
Ready to discover the right solution for your product?