Dow unveils water-repellent finishes sans fluorocarbons

Dow,
the world’s leading materials science company, today introduces DOWSIL™ IE-8749
Emulsion, a new generation of durable water repellent finishes for fabrics
based on silicone chemistry.

“As
the global textile industry quickly adopts new production practices and
materials with reduced environmental impacts, it’s important to examine the
water repellent treatments being used as many conventional options come with a
number of disadvantages,” said Shawn Mealey, technical service and development
scientist at Dow. “At the same time, fashion designers are being tasked with
finding fabric solutions that meet consumer and societal expectations for
style, ease of care and durability. With DOWSILâ„¢ IE-8749 Emulsion, we can help
meet those needs and provide designers with a water repellent treatment that
aligns with the industry’s overall push for greater sustainability.”

Studies
conducted on a variety of textiles substrates based on DOWSILâ„¢ IE-8749 Emulsion
treatment demonstrate improved fabric retention compared to standard silicone
finishes –thereby providing continued water repellency after multiple washes.
Unlike many conventional finishes, DOWSILâ„¢ IE-8749 Emulsion finish does not
need to be regularly heat treated torestore the water repellency performance,
which is a key advantage for the durability of the final product.

By
incorporating a DOWSILâ„¢ IE-8749 Emulsion treatment into their finishing
processes, textile finishers receive greater control over the hand feel of the
fabric – an important parameter driving consumer choices today. Depending on
specific need, this can range, from a very soft hand feel that is
characteristic of silicone when used alone, to a firmer hand with the addition
of crosslinkers.

Mealey
will present the specifics of this new durable water repellent solution for
textile finishing during a dedicated webinar on March 2nd at 8 a.m. Eastern
Time. Participants are invited to register online.

The
technology powering DOWSILâ„¢ IE-8749 Emulsion was developed through a
collaboration between Dow and Nicca Chemical, and was recently recognized by a
2020 R&D 100 Award. It does not contain fluoroalkyl or fluorocarbon.

This
product comes in addition to several recently announced technologies by Dow in
the textile space, focused on combining high performance, cost-effectiveness,
and improved sustainability profiles. For more information about Dow’s broad
chemistry panel for textile formulation, please visit www.dow.com/textiles.