As industries and consumers have shown an increasing preference for water and oil repellents that do not include any fluorinated materials, significant efforts and years of research and testing have gone into developing non-fluorinated alternatives. AGC Chemicals Americas, Inc. (AGCCA; Exton, Pa.; www.agcchem.com) and Dryfiber (Los Angeles, Calif.; www.dryfiber.co), employing proprietary chemistry developed at Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.; www.cornell.edu), have now launched FibraLAST, the industry’s first non-fluorinated polymeric coating for woven and nonwoven textiles that can repel water and oil and that is also resistant to isopropyl alcohol. “The new FibraLAST product can be used in the same way as existing methods for textile coatings to provide water- and oil-repellency. Instead of requiring mills or finishers to make process changes or the purchase of new equipment, this technology will fit into current processes while providing unique performance properties for a non-fluorinated coating,” explains Jay Sacci, technical service chemist at AGCCA.
When FibraLAST is applied to textiles, it forms a microscopically rough texture, creating an effective chemical barrier against oil, water and other fluids. The unique barrier properties make the fluids bead up for easier cleaning. Traditional high-performance textile coatings typically employ fluorinated compounds due to their resilience and stability, and current efforts to develop non-fluorinated coatings have not resulted in the necessary performance requirements. “Existing non-fluorinated repellents are not able to achieve the surface energy necessary to repel low-surface-tension liquids like oils. As far as we know, FibraLAST is the only product of its kind on the market. Our collaboration with Dryfiber has enabled us to engineer a truly unique technology,” adds Sacci.
AGCCA now has several customers conducting mill trials with the new product. “Production is currently in scale-up mode and is expected to be fully commercial in the coming months,” notes Sacci. The coating can be applied via dipping or industrial spray-coating to industrial fabrics, upholstery and filters, as well as textiles used in automotive, medical and marine applications. Several FibraLAST cationic and non-ionic grades are available to handle applications employing synthetic, woven, nonwoven and natural textiles.