The Turkish textile finishing industry is playing a key role in helping UK-based international chemical producer LiquidNano make and sell its new DiOX high-performance fabric coatings, which provide water and oil repellency and anti-viral properties. The arrangement helps Turkey’s textile manufacturers target demand created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
These coatings are forecast for launch by the end of the year, according to LiquidNano. Following their release, Istanbul-based Kem-Color will distribute three key lines in Turkey while its sister company, Italy-based Kemcolor, will sell the coating to textile manufacturers in North Africa and Italy.
Manufacturer Spot Tekstil, also based in Istanbul, has been testing these coatings, noted Cengiz Kahraman, the company’s managing director.
The UK’s LiquidNano brand, DiOX, has developed a number of durable water repellent (DWR) coatings, including D1, a carbon-free DWR coating that uses nano-scale silica dioxide technology as a finishing chemical, and D3, a coating offering water and oil repellence and strong wash stability.
The first line to be sold, however, will be D4, a quaternary ammonium compounds-based anti-viral coating. Efficacy testing of D4 was initially carried out at the UK’s University of Cambridge, testing on mammalian coronavirus, while in Turkey tests are looking into what fabrics the coating can be mixed with and how it can be processed.
“We are in the trial stage right now, especially for D4, the anti-viral product,” says Kahraman. “We are also trying to increase the capacity for carbon-free water repellency.”
Trials have already begun with commercial mill Akbaşlar, in Bursa, Turkey, and Baldwin Technology, in Sweden. Akbaşlar has already begun to apply D4 to the barrier masks it is producing for the European market.
Dave Evans, LiquidNano and DiOX chief marketing officer, says: “LiquidNano first developed D1 for sports and active-wear, and then when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the pivot happened towards an anti-viral coating, DiOX D4, which is what will be sold first.
“The deal with Kem-Color is that they are going to be exclusive distributors for D1, D3, and D4. Our silicon-nano works well and has good washability after 50 washes. We are sorting out the pricing, as we’d like to see implementation before Christmas,” adds Evans, with D4 being heavily promoted as a potential aid in fighting Covid-19.
Independent tests have been carried out by global testing company SGS and Baldwin to AATCC-22 standards (American Association of Textile Chemist and Colorists). DiOX wants D4 to be applied to as many fabrics as possible, including performance fabrics for sportswear, hence the care taken over testing in Turkey.
“We know D1 can go on polyester, synthetics, and cellulose, so it can cover natural fabrics and synthetics, but we want to ensure the application is what it should be,” says LiquidNano technical director Ian Smith.
The spray is around half water to solution and is applied in a closed chambered room. “Spraying reduces the amount of chemical used for application, and we can also increase the speed of the machine,” says Kahraman. “The standard frame can run maybe double speed, which is the same as the drier, and is quite cost effective.”
For the anti-viral D4 coating, DiOX partnered with Cambridge University to test in real-world scenarios. “We have done sneeze splatters tests,” explains Evans. “With the product there is a 96% to 99% reduction. It is effective for 20 washes, and should go to 30.”
While spray application is the current option, the anti-viral coating could also be applied through regular laundering of fabrics, a coating bath, or via pads for instance.
“For the corporate hospitality side, like for mattresses, it can be used in a laundry environment, to apply and dry with no specialist curing,” Smith concludes.
Source: https://www.wtin.com