Hydrophillic
Hydrophobic
Superhydrophobic
How Xeromax Can Help:
How The Technology Works
Plasma Treatment
Xeromax's patent-pending durable water repellent technology leap-frogs many existing water repellent technologies by incorporating a plasma treatment into the procedure. A low-temperature plasma is used, consisting of electrons and ions that clean, etch, and oxidize the surface of the textile. This action primes the surface so that it can more readily accept and bind to the depositing water repellent layers. This allows the hydrophobic coating to covalently bond to the textile and practically become part of the material itself.
Chemical Vapor Deposition
In addition to plasma treatment, Xeromax's technology uses a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process in order to coat the surface of fibers with an environmentally friendly, non-fluorocarbon based solution, making them superhydrophobic and abrasion resistant on the molecular level. The process starts by converting the chemicals into a vapor (or gas) phase and depositing them onto the surface of the fibers, thus forming an ultra-thin hydrophobic coating. Because the chemistry is used in the gas phase, the process only requires small amounts of chemical and eliminates the need for liquid solvents, thus lowering costs and waste production.
Chemical Promoter
Further, Xeromax incorporates the use of an adhesion promoter in its process. The use of this promoter enhances the durability and abrasion-resistance of the coating while effectively creating a thinner layer than standard technologies can produce. The result is the most durable, invisible water repellent technology available.
End Result
Through using this patent-pending, proprietary process, Xeromax is able to effectively create a superhydrophobic thin-film layer that bonds covalently to the fibers of the material. This process can be applied to virtually any fiber, fabric or textile - natural or synthetic. As described above, the resulting coating is not only more durable and abrasion resistant that any other solution out there, but it is also thinner which preserves the natural feel, look, and performance of even the most delicate fabrics.
