Finland's top university, The University of Alto, has developed a new hydrophobic natural wax fabric coating

researchers at the University of Aalto University, Finland's top academic institution, have developed an eco-friendly hydrophobic wax coating for fabrics and lignocellulose fiber substrates, which improves fabric hydrophobicness while retaining its original breathability and natural feelbecause textiles are used in the production process waterproof products, and many waterproof products use toxic chemicals, which brings environmental impact problems, the urgent need for environmentally friendly alternatives, but the production of non-toxic, breathable and waterproof textiles, and environmentally friendly and economical thinking is still a challenge at presentthe process of breaking the wax melt into negatively charged anion-type wax particles under the condition of water presenceIn order for wax particles to adhere well to the cellulose surface, some positively charged cation is required as a buffer, as the particles with the opposite charge attract each otherIn previous studies, a natural protein for polylysine was used"Polylysine is more expensive, so in our study, lower-cost cation starch was used as a substitute," said DrForsman of the University ofAltoAlthough cancite starch is not as effective as polylysine, the waterproofperformance of fabric surface can be achieved by compounding starch and wax particles with a certain ratioThe researchers also compared the breathability between fabrics treated with natural wax and fabrics treated with similar commercially available products, and the results showed that natural wax particles improved fabric resistance while retaining breathability, while the fabrics treated with commercially treated products reduced breathabilitythe project's research team consists of multidisciplinary members, including, for example, Matilda Tuure, a designer from the University of Art Design and Architecture at the University of Altowax coating can be applied, sprayed or brushed to the fabric surface, and three coating methods can be analyzed and testedThe results show that dipping is suitable for smaller fabrics, while spraying or painting is more suitable for larger fabricsIn the industrial production process, wax treatment can be synchronized with coloring as part of the fabric surface treatment processthe team pointed out that the wax coating wash-resistant detergent performance needs to be further improved, the new coating is more suitable for those who do not need to wash often jackets such as jacketsthe team also studied the effect of the drying temperature after wax treatment on water resistance, and the results showed that the water resistance was optimal when the drying temperature was lower than the melting temperature of the wax"We tested coatings on different fabric materials, such as viscose fibers, silk, cotton, hemp, cotton knitwear, etc., and the results showed that the roughness of the fabric surface affected its hydrophobicness, and the rougher the surface, the better," dr Forsman, a This is because on rough surfaces, the water droplets have a smaller area of contact with the fabric surface "