Polyester fibre and fabrics producer Teijin Fibers announced today that it has developed a new stain-resistant polyester fabric that offers, both water absorption to eliminate stickiness and oil repellence to resist oil-based soiling.

According to Teijin, the key to the breakthrough was the company's leveraging of proprietary fibre processing and nanotechnologies to succeed in covering the fibre surface with a 100-nanometer coating that consists of separate hydrophilic and oil-repellent layers.

When sweat or other moisture contacts the fabric, water content is said to be selectively absorbed and quickly spread to the hydrophilic layer, whereas oil is repelled and later can be easily washed off.

The as yet unnamed new material, which the company plans to market as a comfortable, stain-resistant fabric for all seasons, will be used for sportswear, uniforms and fashion items such as blouses and trousers that require both oil repellence and sweat absorption and Teijin will begin selling the new fabric in time for spring/ summer 2012 sportswear and apparel.

"Innerwear such as shirts and cut and sewn clothing will benefit greatly from being able to absorb water and sweat, while stubbornly repelling oil-based stains from sebum, cosmetics, etc. and easily shed such stains through washing," a Teijin spokesperson said today.

"Teijin Fibers' innovative new material also offers an unprecedentedly soft texture because its special new coating is formed on each individual fibre, rather than the fabric as a unit," the company said.

 "Polyester is essentially hydrophobic, so it neither absorbs water nor repels oil-based grime. Existing water-repellent and oil-repellent materials present problems, such as loss of breathability and texture, because the coating is applied only to the top surface of the fabric, rather than each individual fibre," Teijin said.