SBIR Phase I: Eliminating the use of Fluorochemicals in Textile Applications: Superhydrophobic Surfaces via Surface Modified Nanoparticles.

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will examine the feasibility to develop effective replacements for fluorochemicals that are widely used in the textile industry to produce soil and stain resistant finishes on clothes, upholstery, carpet and medical textiles. Fluorochemicals, while highly effective, have been shown to be persistent in the environment, bio-accumulative, and have recently been cited by the Environmental Protection Agency as probable carcinogens. Moreover, fluorochemicals and the precursors used to prepare these materials such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been shown to accumulate in human breast tissue and in arctic wildlife. There is a clear need to develop an effective replacement for fluorochemicals that provides the benefits of fluorochemicals but is not bio-accumulative and is not harmful to the environment or people. G3 Technology Innovations will develop novel advanced materials utilizing nanoparticle surface modification methods developed by G3i, to create a superhydrophobic, nano-rough surface in a single-step process. The broader impacts/commercial potential of this project is to eliminate the use of fluorochemicals in water-resistant textile finishes. The novelty of this technology is that it provides a soil and stain resistant finish that is free of fluorochemicals, contains no VOCs, and can be applied to fabric using existing textile finishing equipment in a single-step process. This technology will be highly beneficial to the US textile industry, enabling differentiation from foreign competition. Furthermore, the technology is beneficial to society at large since it virtually eliminates a major source of environmental pollution.