Development of a perfluoro-compound-free durable water- and oil-repellent finish for textiles

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All current waterproof jackets are treated with what is known as a Durable Water Repellent (DWR). DWRs today can be grouped into two categories: those containing perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and those that cannot repel oil. The first category is problematic because PFCs are toxic to humans, with exposure causing lowered birth weight, pregnancy complications, and immunocompromised children. Canada has recognized this, and PFCs will be completed phased out by 2023. However, today only PFC-containing DWRs exhibit oil repellency. That's why the second category of DWR exists: some apparel manufacturers have traded their clothing's oil-repellent properties for increased environmental and human health. Unfortunately, oil repellency is vital to keep sweat out of the fibres of apparel. Without oil repellency, jackets are easily soiled and then loose their waterproof properties. Arc'teryx, the Vancouver-based sportswear apparel manufacturer, recognizes the inherent difficulty in this problem: their products requite both oil repellency and environmental sustainability, for which today there is no solution on the market.The purpose of this project is to develop a non-PFC DWR that exhibits oil repellency. Dr. Golovin's research group at UBC has teamed with Arc'teryx for this endeavor, in order to develop the first oil-repellent textile finish that is PFC-free. Golovin's group has recently discovered that nano-silicones can repel oil even though typical silicone materials get completely wet by oils. This project will explore how nano-silicones can repel oils, how these nano-silicones can be applied to textiles, and how this new textile finish can be made durable enough to meet Arc'teryx's performance needs. By the end of this 36-month project it is expected that a PFC-free textile finish, based off of nano-silicone technology, will be ready for mass production and application in all of Arc'teryx's textile mills.