Development of water repellent membrane for sports apparel

Abstract

Consumers actively participating in outdoor activities or are exposed to harsh environment are increasingly seeking multifunctional clothing to sustain their comfort under such conditions. This can be seen from the growing trend for waterproof breathable textile in the global market. Thus, many companies are looking into more methods to produce these textiles to meet the demands of consumers. The purpose of this project is to generate a polymeric, poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) membrane using the electrospinning method. The polymer is dissolved in N, N Dimethylformamide to produce a precursor used in the electrospinner. Solution and Processing parameters are adjusted to create the membranes and the optimal parameters is used for this polymeric membrane. The aim of this project is to determine if PVDF-HFP is a suitable polymer to design a waterproof and breathable membrane. Characterization methods such as the contact angle to test the water repellent of the membrane, Scanning Electron Microscope to see the morphology of the membrane. Industrial testing such as the Hydrostatic Head Testing, Air Permeability Testing is employed to determine the properties of the membranes. The results showed that this polymer showed great potential as a membrane as the hydrostatic head testing and air permeability results is in the acceptable range of an industrial membrane. However, further testing such water vapour permeability testing can be conducted for a more accurate data on the membrane properties. In addition, the adhesive of the membrane can be improved.