NeverWet superhydrophobic spray on coating

[Todd Ler]

check this vid out. Coming to consumers in 2012.

I can see using this to waterproof everything from tent flys to cell phones, etc.

[Franco Darioli]

Can't wait for the Hyper version.

just kidding.
Thanks for the link.
Franco

[Matthew Marasco]

Amazing! I wonder what consequence such a coating would have on a fabric's breathability.

[Stamati Anagnostou]

That's a great question, Matthew. I emailed them to see what they have to say.

If you guys haven't checked out the video on their website where they coat their shoes and a jacket in it, you really should. This is super neat and I look forward to seeing the community here take advantage of it- hell, I can't wait to use this stuff!

[Dale Wambaugh]

Interesting stuff. If it isn't breathable, it would still be great on packs and shelters. The anti-icing properties could have all kinds of applications for snow sports. I wonder how it would do on crampons and snowshoe hardware.

It would be interesting to see if there is any significant reduction in drag when using it on small boats.

[drowning in spam]

Dale, nice thinking on snow hardware. I often apply spray on dwr coatings to my pants to help them stay dry and dry faster, but perhaps I should not put these on the seat of my pants otherwise I may butt glissade way too fast. This would be great on shoe uppers. I wish I had something like that yesterday because I was slogging through puddles for hours. I also have to wonder how much weight this product adds. I also thought it would be great for shelters, but not if it increases the weight significantly.

[Roger Caffin]

Yeah, yeah, I am sure it's great. When new.
But how long does it last?
Does it get slowly washed off? (silicone does)
Does it resist abrasion from scrub?
Does the effect rely on it being totally clean all the time?
What effect do skin oils have on it?
etc etc etc

Cheers

[Dale Wambaugh]

Good questions Roger. As far as abrasion goes, pack straps are an area of concern too. I would see more application on the manufacturing level than for consumers.

From the closeups in the videos it creates a fairly rough surface.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

If this the spray-on version for fabrics DOES last at least as long as say, Revivex, it would be THE DWR to have. Their video is amazing, especially the chocolate syrup running right off white tennis shoes with no trace.

I hope this stuff is very durable – and reasonably priced.

Can you see spraying it on someone's towel as a practical joke? (Yeah, I'm bad.)

[Stamati Anagnostou]

In my email I included a question about the durability. In their white paper it says something about the Taber abrasion test being applied to it, and I have no clue what that is. They said they dipped it in liquid nitrogen 10 times and bent the metal it was on and it didn't fail. Not like that equates at all to how we'd use it.

Anyway, there is such a variety of applications for this stuff. Depending on price, if it's at least as durable as a good DWR it could be way useful.

[Bob Gross]

How about we dip Roger Caffin headfirst into the stuff, let him dry, and set him out in the storm? Then he can write an excellent first-hand report.

–B.G.–

[Bradley Danyluk]

I approached this with a very skeptical mindset but the information is very convincing.

I suspect it is actually extremely durable. There is a video of them pressure-washing a surface at point blank range for an hour. After the pressure-wash, the surface performed identically as it did before. One video mentioned it being used for years in salt water without degrading. It also said that in the case of the two liquids which it will not repel – soap and alcohol – the surface will return to its previous hydrophobic state after drying of those liquids.

Breathability is my number one question at this point. Without that, it's useless in a backpacking scenario.
But if it is breathable, you could potentially coat all your gear/clothes in it, probably not even need a hardshell layer, and never have to worry about drying out wet clothes, tents, sleeping bags after a storm. In fact, you wouldn't even have to worry about things getting dirty. One video showed pristine white shoes jumping in a puddle of mud. They come out white as new.

My next question would be toxicity. Fluoropolymer coatings currently rule the market in terms of durability, but there are toxicity / carcinogenic concerns compared to the less durable wax-based or silicone-based coatings. I suspect there is some amount of fluorine in this process, usually necessary in creating a superhydrophobic surface.

[Bradley Danyluk]

There was another video where they coated just the outside of an iPhone and submerged it for 30 mins; it was functioning the whole time.
Cool.
You can also coat the actual PCB's which would make electronics function indefinitely in the presence of water.

[James holden]

i wonder what would happen if i sprayed a fuzzy wuzzy with this …. waterproof household pets !!!

hmmmmmm

What's the secret behind NeverWet?

NeverWet — which has 13 patents pending — works much as Scotchgard does in protecting furniture, carpets and other surfaces. That is, it creates a very high contact angle for water on a surface, Jones explained.

A drop of water that lies flat on a surface has a contact angle of zero percent, but if the droplet forms into a perfect circle, it has an angle of 180 degrees.

Human skin provides a surface angle of 75 to 90 degrees, Jones said. Car wax provides a surface angle of about 95 degrees. Scotchgard has an angle as high as 116 degrees.

In contrast, NeverWet has a contact angle as high as 165 degrees, which means water forms an almost perfect sphere.

Because of that shape, the water is repelled.

Materials scientist Vinod Sikka, Ross Nanotechnology's director of research and development, played a key role in inventing NeverWet, Jones said.

Sikka previously spent 34 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he became manager of research and technology development.

But having a superior product alone isn't enough to guarantee commercial success, Jones points out.

"It's challenging to break into the coatings market. People have been using the same stuff from the same suppliers for a long time," he said.

Jones sees lots of potential for NeverWet, though.

"It is very novel, and when you start thinking about it, you can think about how transformative the technology can be," Jones said. "You can use it everywhere."

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/438712_When-these-guys-say-NeverWet

---

they-mean-it.html

[Anonymous]

"Yeah, yeah, I am sure it's great. When new.
But how long does it last?
Does it get slowly washed off? (silicone does)
Does it resist abrasion from scrub?
Does the effect rely on it being totally clean all the time?
What effect do skin oils have on it?
etc etc etc"

AND is it breathable?

[Daryl and Daryl]

Some of the hearing aid sellers have been advertising an almost waterproof hearing aid lately. I wonder if they just sprayed it with this stuff?

[drowning in spam]

AND is it breathable?

If they only sprayed the exterior of that iPhone to make it waterproof, then I doubt it's breathable, or at least that it diminishes breathability.

[Bradley Danyluk]

What would its application to an iPhone that have to do with breathability?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Can you imagine this stuff on light nylon instead of regular silicone as we now have it on silnylon? "SUPERsil". Maybe I should copyright that name….

Breathable or not it may be great for tents.

@ Andre (below)
Until now wolverine fur was the only fur that would shed frost well so it was the preferred fur for a parka hood in arctic conditions to readily shed frost from breath.

Now you can take plain ol' coyote fur, spray it with NeverWet and get the same results.
^
^
^
^
^
^

[Andre C]

"0 effect on breathability"

http://vimeo.com/20262184

I love that they treated fur.

[James holden]

i find that fleece demo most impressive … a highly water resistance breathable fleece ??? …. hmmm

on another note theres a real application for winter climbing … imagine crampons, ice axes and screws that never freeze up ….

not to mention the fur demo proves that i can just coat the doggay … and never have to give him a bath again ;)

BPL needs to test to stuff ….

[David Olsen]

Doggy, how about people?

Some of you silverbacks know what I am talking about.

[Bradley Danyluk]

Honestly, I think something like this could revolutionize *everything*.

Imagine having to carry minimal clothing and no shelter at all. Just spray this stuff on your sleeping bag and all your clothes. A strip of waterproof fabric to cover your exposed faced, and you're done. You can sleep in the open because your sleeping bag fabric functions as its own storm-proof bivy.

And nothing will ever get dirty or need to be dried out on the trail.

I'm buying a whack of it once it becomes available. Probably not adventurous enough to use it for that yet, but infinitely useful regardless.

[Bradley Danyluk]

Andre, that Vimeo link you posted comes up as Private.

[Roger Caffin]

Seems utterly fantastic and unbelievable, doesn't it?
Touble is, 'if it seems too good to be true, it probably is'.
Forgive my doubts: I would love to see it for real, but until then …

OK, having thrown cold water around, could it be possible? Well, silicone compounds certainly changed things for waterproofing, then fluorocarbons made further changes to the scene. Another chemistry advance? Maybe …

One thing is for sure: if it is real, then every garment manufacturer will be leaping on it and you won't have any problems seeing it in the advertising media and in the shops. So, we'll see.

Cheers

[Author]

Posts