Nano-Care Deutschland, a leading specialist in the production of ready-to-use high-tech coatings and their precursors, has developed a new Nanoflex F-Bond coating system for water and oil repellency.

“Removal of C8 fluorocarbon technology, which will be banned due to its emissions of PFOS and PFOA, leaves a significant performance gap in the market,” said Oliver Sonntag, Nano-Care Director. “The great challenge for us has been to retain existing high standards of oil repellency – whilst eliminating long-chain fluorination. We have solved this problem by creating a special silicon dioxide backbone."

The Nanoflex F-Bond, marketed under the umbrella brand Intelligent Hybrids, is based on liquid concentrates and is applied using common industrial dipping methods. For many years, there has been strong pressure for innovation in the textile finishing sector to meet increasing regulation and ecological demands. As a spin-off from the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM), Nano-Care Deutschland sees a market potential amounting to the hundreds of millions of Euros.

“Our particular focus is on military, work-wear and health sectors which have to satisfy especially high-performance requirements and currently have only temporary permission to use C8 technologies. Their elimination – particularly outside the European Union – is an important step towards achieving ecological sustainability in the textiles industry,” explained Mr Sonntag.

Nano-Care Deutschland has been developing innovative coatings for textiles and other surfaces since 2000. On reorganising its corporate structure at the beginning of 2018, the new Textile Effects' department will develop further specialisation in the sector.

Specifically, the company partners private label clients, be they manufacturers of surface coatings, distributors of chemical products or users of high-tech surface finishes. Currently, the company served companies and consumers in more than 65 countries.

www.nano-care.com