The 2013 Asia Outdoor Show will beheld in July at the Nanjing International Expo Center,,SympaTex® will once again join forces with numerous domestic and international partner clients to participate in the exhibition, continuing to showcase their best-selling and award-winning products, allowing you to learn more about SympaTex®.
When it comes to the functionality of outdoor gear, waterproofness and breathability are the most basic and important performance requirements. Waterproof and breathable fabrics have evolved from dense fabrics and coated waterproof and moisture-permeable fabricsto laminated membrane fabrics. The technological essence of various waterproof and breathable fabric brands lies in the functional membranes they use. These functional membranes can be divided into: microporous membranes, dense hydrophilic membranes, and microporous-hydrophilic composite membranes. Currently, the waterproof and breathable membranes used in the market that are bonded to fabrics are mainly the first two types. Microporous membranes are more familiar to people because they entered the Chinese market earlier. Dense hydrophilic membranes refer to dense solid membranes made from hydrophilic polymers (containing hydrophilic groups or side chains), also known as non-porous hydrophilic membranes. This is a new type of waterproof and breathable membrane developed by SympaTex® in 1980. Since the SympaTex® membrane was applied to the apparel industry in 1985, this high-tech membrane material has truly become known to the public and gradually gained brand recognition. Due to its superior waterproof and breathable performance and environmental benefits compared to the more common microporous membranes on the market, SympaTex® is becoming the new choice for waterproof and breathable fabrics among more outdoor brands.
In terms of waterproofing, the micropores in microporous membranes are smaller than water droplets but not smaller than water molecule clusters. The waterproof function of microporous membranes, as commonly understood, is based on thesurface tensionof water. Water molecules tend to cluster into droplets, and under low pressure, surface tension can balance the pressure that would push water into the fabric, so water does not leak. When the pressure increases to a certain level, the surface tension can no longer maintain this balance, causing the water droplets to break into smaller ones, resulting in leakage. Therefore, the waterproof performance of fabrics based on EPTFE-type membranes is usually expressed in terms of the water pressure they can withstand. In contrast, SympaTex®'s non-porous hydrophilic membrane achieves 100% waterproofing because it has no pores.
In terms of breathability, compared to microporous membranes, non-porous hydrophilic membranes offer superior breathability.SympaTex®'s non-porous hydrophilic membrane achieves breathability through the interaction of physical and chemical processes. This is driven by the difference in humidity and temperature between the human body and the external environment, which promotes the convection of water vapor molecules from areas of higher humidity to areas of lower humidity. Since both water molecules and water vapor molecules consist of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, when water molecules are in a gaseous state, they are very independent and move freely like clouds. Temperature and humidity differences drive them to pass through the membrane one after another. SympaTex®'s non-porous hydrophilic membrane is a polymer composed of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances. The hydrophilic component has a molecular chain structure with positively and negatively charged sites that can attract individual water vapor molecules, accelerating the speed at which water vapor passes through the membrane. This also ensures that SympaTex® fabrics, such as those used in rain jackets, achieve better and more excellent breathability. Thanks to this unique hydrophilic membrane structure, products using SympaTex®'s non-porous membrane not only ensure good breathability but also outperform similar products in this regard.
In addition to its basic material functions (100% waterproof, 100% windproof, and excellent breathability), SympaTex®'s membrane is also environmentally friendly because it is 100% recyclable and has been certified by the international textile eco-label Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and Switzerland’s bluesign® certification, making it a truly environmentally friendly fabric.
In terms of breathability, compared to microporous membranes, non-porous hydrophilic membranes offer superior breathability.SympaTex®'s non-porous hydrophilic membrane achieves breathability through the interaction of physical and chemical processes. This is driven by the difference in humidity and temperature between the human body and the external environment, which promotes the convection of water vapor molecules from areas of higher humidity to areas of lower humidity. Since both water molecules and water vapor molecules consist of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, when water molecules are in a gaseous state, they are very independent and move freely like clouds. Temperature and humidity differences drive them to pass through the membrane one after another. SympaTex®'s non-porous hydrophilic membrane is a polymer composed of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances. The hydrophilic component has a molecular chain structure with positively and negatively charged sites that can attract individual water vapor molecules, accelerating the speed at which water vapor passes through the membrane. This also ensures that SympaTex® fabrics, such as those used in rain jackets, achieve better and more excellent breathability. Thanks to this unique hydrophilic membrane structure, products using SympaTex®'s non-porous membrane not only ensure good breathability but also outperform similar products in this regard.
In addition to its basic material functions (100% waterproof, 100% windproof, and excellent breathability), SympaTex®'s membrane is also environmentally friendly because it is 100% recyclable and has been certified by the international textile eco-label Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and Switzerland’s bluesign® certification, making it a truly environmentally friendly fabric.