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Progress of fluorine-free water repellents for textiles: Industry and academia driving sustainability
A comprehensive review explores the transition from PFAS-based water repellents to fluorine-free alternatives, highlighting their performance, environmental impact, and future developments for sustainable textiles.
Water-repellent finishing technologies are essential for enhancing the functionality of textiles, but the dominance of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-based water repellents has raised concerns due to their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. This review examines the market shift towards fluorine-free water repellents, driven by global regulations and the need for sustainable alternatives.
Fluorine-free water repellents replace fluorocarbon chains with long-chain alkyl groups and encompass four main categories: polyacrylate-based, organosilicon-based, polyurethane-based, and dendritic polymer-based agents. Cutting-edge technologies like nanotechnology and plasma treatments are also being explored to enhance water-repellent efficiency. The research highlights comparisons of performance, costs, and environmental impact between fluorine-containing and fluorine-free solutions.
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Future trends in water-repellent technologies
The paper emphasises the importance of integrating bionic structures, bio-based materials, and multifunctionality into water-repellent systems. Such approaches are expected to drive the development of high-performance, eco-friendly solutions for textile finishing. Collaboration between industry and academia is crucial to advancing these innovations and achieving global sustainability goals.
This review provides valuable insights for researchers, manufacturers, and policymakers as the textile industry continues its transition toward greener water-repellent technologies.
Source: Zhang, H. et al., Progress of fluorine-free water repellents for textiles: A comprehensive review from industry and academia. Progress in Organic Coatings, 213, 109948 (2026).
