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

目前所有的防水夹克都是用所谓的耐用防水剂（DWR）处理的。目前，DWR可分为两类：含有全氟化碳（PFC）的DWR和不能排斥油的DWR。第一类是有问题的，因为PFC对人类有毒，接触会导致出生体重降低，妊娠并发症和免疫功能低下的儿童。加拿大已经认识到这一点，并将在2023年之前完成全氟化学品的淘汰。然而，今天只有含PFC的DWR表现出拒油性。这就是第二类DWR存在的原因：一些服装制造商已经将其服装的拒油特性用于增加环境和人类健康。不幸的是，拒油性对于防止汗水进入服装纤维至关重要。如果没有防油性，夹克很容易弄脏，然后失去防水性能。总部位于弗吉尼亚州的运动服装制造商Arc'teryx认识到这个问题的内在困难：他们的产品既需要防油性，又需要环境可持续性，目前市场上还没有解决方案。该项目的目的是开发一种具有防油性的非PFC DWR。Golovin博士在UBC的研究小组与Arc'teryx合作进行这项奋进，以开发第一种不含PFC的拒油纺织品整理剂。Golovin的研究小组最近发现，即使典型的硅树脂材料被油完全润湿，纳米硅树脂也可以排斥油。该项目将探索纳米有机硅如何防油，这些纳米有机硅如何应用于纺织品，以及如何使这种新的纺织品整理剂足够耐用以满足Arc'teryx的性能需求。到这个为期36个月的项目结束时，预计基于纳米硅技术的无PFC纺织品整理剂将准备好在Arc'teryx的所有纺织米尔斯工厂进行大规模生产和应用。

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.