Scientists Invent Completely Waterproof Material

There's nothing worse than the sensation of soaking wet clothes on your body when you get caught outside in a heavy rainstorm. But thanks to a new development in fabric from scientists at the University of Zurich, wet clothing may soon be a matter of the past.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on December 03 2008

There’s nothing worse than the sensation of soaking wet clothes on your body when you get caught outside in a heavy rainstorm. But thanks to a new development in fabric from scientists at the University of Zurich, wet clothing may soon be a matter of the past.

The new material is made of silicone-coated polyester fibers, and is said to be the most water-repellent material ever created. When the fabric gets wet, drops of water don’t soak in—instead, they simply remain on the surface in droplet form, and easily roll off.

The hydrophobic suit also boasts a layer of air between the silicone and the polyester, which is the key to keeping the material dry. The lead researcher, Stefan Seeger, claims that the material can be left underwater for two months and still come out completely dry.

The fabric is also able to reduce drag in water by as much as 20 percent over standard swimsuits, which means that the next Olympic swimming team might just be wearing this fabric. We’d love to see how Michael Phelps does then.

Filed under: Science, Weird,

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