Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan in collaboration with outdoor apparel company Arc’teryx have developed a non-toxic, oil and water repellent textile finish for outdoor gear.

To create the new textile, the UBC Okanagan team applied a nanoscopic layer of silicone to every individual fiber in a fabric. This, according to researchers, enabled the textile to repel oils, sweat and water, all without using perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).

UBC Okanagan researchers test water-repellent fabric treatment. Source: UBC Okanagan

PFCs are commonly used as a coating on textiles to repel water and oil. However, PFCs do not break down immediately, living on products indefinitely and creating environmental implications.

Although the team will continue to develop the new film as an environmentally friendly alternative to textiles coated in PFCs, the researchers warn that it will be some time before the coating will be commercially available.

The research appears in the journal Nature Sustainability.