Waterproof coating for clothes made from textile waste

Cornell University researchers have developed a waterproof coating made from unrefined polyester/spandex textile waste. Their work builds on and applies previous proof-of-concept research synthesizing coatings.

An alkaline depolymerization process breaks down blended polyester/spandex textile waste and makes the metal-organic framework (MOF) to create the coating. In addition, the MOF soup also contains the dyes, additives and dirt found in the discarded textiles. 

Researchers found that with a small amount of ethanol, the resulting coating—assembled on top of a polyester and spandex substrate—exhibited superhydrophobic behavior. They concluded that it was the chemical degradation of the spandex waste that made the coating hydrophobic. The coated material was also subjected to repeated washing and abrasion and maintained its water resistance.

The research group was led by Juan Hinestroza, a fiber science and apparel design professor at Cornell’s College of Human Ecology. 

This research was published in September 2024 in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.