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acid – PFHxA) or less, jointly known as
short-chain technology. The short chain
advantage lies in:
1) Not degrading into PFOA or PFOS,
2) Does not bio-accumulate,
3) Has greatly reduced toxicity in all
environments and
4) Is rapidly eliminated from biologi-
cal systems.
“The short-chain alternatives now
used in Teflon fabric protector have …
no compromise between performance
and compliance,” states Lisa P. Hardy,
DuPont’s North America manager for
Teflon fabric protector.
DuPont has as many as 60 tailored
solutions marketed under Capstone
for various applications. For textiles,
seven Capstone stain and rain prod-
ucts are converted by Huntsman, a
manufacturer of textile finishes, into
fabric-specific treatments (Figure 1).
For instance, the textile mill would
apply Huntman’s PHOBOL CP-S on
wool and wool blends. Other products
are for cotton or synthetics, with or
without stain release. All of the solu-
tions are specific to the end use – not a
one-size-fits-all application.
Swiss-based company Archroma
Management LLC, meanwhile, has
created the Nuva N series, “consist-
ing of products based on the latest C6
chemistry,” says the company. How-
ever, Archroma also has invested in a
fluorine-free technology, Arkophob FFR,
a product competitive with C6 fluoro-
chemicals and alleged to be superior to
other flurorine-free DWRs.
Asahi Glass Co., for its part, has
moved its efforts into the C6 realm with
its AsahiGuard E-SERIES, a PFOA-free
fluorochemical. Asahi says it has chosen
this technology path because it is “rec-
ognized as superior to wax or silicone
agents,” due to a “superior stability and
durability in real-world conditions.”
(See Figure 2.)
Since 1968, Daikin Industries, Ltd.
has been creating UNIDYNE DWRs.
Now utilizing C6 backbones in their
chemistry, the UNIDYNE product
family is PFOA-free. Corporate-wide,
Daikin “and its subsidiaries intend to
stop manufacturing, using and selling
Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and C8
telomer-based water and oil repellent
products by the end of 2015,” states the
company. Additionally, Daikin has three
(five total for textiles) unique product
offerings for textiles. They are hybrids
using fluorine and silicon, co-developed
with Dow Corning Corporation. Mar-
keted under UNIDYNE Multi-Series, the
concept is to overcome texture harden-
K2 Pinnacle
Figure 2. Nomograph showing the significantly lower surface energy of fluorinated
chemistry applied on a solid in comparison to the surface energy of various
liquids; courtesy of Asahi Glass Co.
Inside
Outdoor
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Spring
2015
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