Source: Dimpora official website
Note: Switzerland has ranked first in the competitiveness of the Global Innovation Index for 12 consecutive years, is an important source of innovation in the world, and is also China's first innovation strategic partnership country, which has excellent complementarity with China in the fields of innovation development and technology finance.
The "Swiss Innovation 100", organized by Venturelab, brings together the best "Swiss made" start-ups and growth stage technology innovation companies, and is the most internationally influential innovation ecological benchmark in Switzerland. Since 2011, the list has annually selected 100 of the most groundbreaking and promising Swiss innovators and 25 Swiss growth companies with the most unicorn potential across the country, covering life sciences, construction machinery, robotics, information and communication, low-carbon technology, food technology and other fields, and this year it has added 41 new companies to the list.
In order to comprehensively display and introduce the most cutting-edge innovative technologies in Switzerland, Titanium Media APP and Insight Tech, the Chinese authorized partner of Venturelab, jointly launched the "Swiss Top 100 Innovations" feature, which comprehensively displays the panorama of Switzerland's pioneering science and technology innovation ecology.
This article is the 75th issue of the column, and Dimpora is a company on the Swiss Innovation 100 2023 list, which is dedicated to the development of functional films for fully microporous outdoor clothing.
Founded in 2019, Dimpora, a Swiss engineering technology company, has developed the first fluorine-free, waterproof, breathable and PFAS-free, fully microporous functional film based on patented template removal technology for the production of high-performance eco-friendly outdoor clothing. The film is made from a single substance, ensuring the performance of outdoor clothing while being fully recyclable.
Dimpora是苏黎世联邦理工学院的衍生公司,由Mario Stucki和Anna Beltzung联合创立,Mario Stucki在博士论文期间对功能性薄膜进行了深入研究,Anna Beltzung致力于纳米复合材料和多孔聚合物的研究。
Photo credit: Chemeurope
Functional outdoor garments are often made up of multiple layers: the outer fabric, the membrane, and the inner lining, and the membrane is the key to waterproofing, breathability, etc. Today, almost all films on the market are produced from petroleum polymers, and most manufacturers also add environmentally harmful chemicals and solvents such as PFCs and PFAS (perfluoroalkylated substances) to achieve breathability and water repellency in outdoor clothing. Fluorine-free alternative films available on the market are either non-porous – waterproof but not breathable or porous – breathable but not waterproof. Existing films often use special adhesives or glues to ensure the waterproofness of outdoor garments, many of which are harmful to the environment and have complex compositions, making it more difficult to recycle garments.
Source: Venturelab
Based on patented stencil removal technology, Dimpora has developed the first fully microporous functional film that is fluorine-free, waterproof, breathable, and PFAS-free for the production of high-performance, eco-friendly outdoor apparel. And the film is made from a single substance, which is fully recyclable while enhancing the performance of outdoor clothing.
Dimpora's membranes use a patented stencil removal method that creates the necessary porosity to achieve excellent breathability while ensuring complete water repellency. Dimpora uses tiny calcium carbonate particles to form pores. When the calcium carbonate particles dissolve and form pores, the water-repellent material remains on the polyurethane film, which allows the film to prevent external raindrops and dirt from entering while wicking away sweat quickly, providing comprehensive waterproof protection for the garment and helping users stay dry even in the most extreme weather conditions.
Dimpora's film is fluorine-free and has a base material of polyurethane (PU), a non-toxic and durable polymer. Dimpora uses calcium carbonate instead of toxic dimethylformamide (DMF) to form pores, and the entire production process is free of chemicals and solvents such as PFCs and PFAS.
In terms of production and use, Dimpora has a unique 3D film technology. The film's adhesion allows outdoor apparel companies to spray, apply or dip it directly onto garments, avoiding degradation of garment performance or material waste due to cutting, sewing and edging; The technology also makes it possible to replace the substrate and produce the film with a polymer that is the same as the garment material, so that textiles, films, glues, etc. are all made up of the same polymer, making it easy to recycle on a large scale. At the same time, Dimpora's film technology is scalable and quickly compatible with existing outdoor apparel production lines.
Dimpora's target market is mainly ski apparel companies that produce jackets, gloves and pants, among others. In 2022, Dimpora partnered with Swiss outdoor apparel company Snowlife to launch ski gloves. In 2021, Dimpora closed a CHF 2.1 million financing facility that will help the company drive product production and the development of next-generation technologies. Through its unique functional film technology, Dimpora hopes to help outdoor apparel companies create high-performance, eco-friendly performance apparel and achieve 100% recyclability of outdoor apparel.
The Chinese version of the Swiss Top 100 Innovators 2023 is proudly released by Insight Tech. EM Technology is the authorized partner of the "Swiss Innovation 100" in China, responsible for the operation and promotion of the "Swiss Innovation 100" in China and assisting the list projects in business cooperation with China. As a Sino-European (Swiss) technology innovation investment and industrialization operator, Emming Technology provides investment, financing and business development services for the two-way cooperation between Swiss innovation and Chinese industry, and carries out equity investment business.
To obtain the full list of the 2023 Swiss Top 100 Innovators and industry lists, please visit the official account or official website of Eming Technology.