On Wednesday the 16th of March, Wouter Biesta from Tanatex gave an interesting lunch lecture about the chemical processes involved in treating textiles to become stronger and more durable.
After telling us about his studies and career, Biesta introduced Tanatex and the chemistry of polyurethane as a new valuable technique to treat textiles. It was explained how polyurethane and other techniques can give textiles desired characteristics, like textile being strong, breathable, water resistant and waterproof. In addition, Biesta showed that the durability and quality of the textiles over time is studied and showed how the textiles are treated.
Also other diverse and creative treatments for creating textiles with unique properties were explained. Examples are extreme white materials, coloured textile that transmits light, creating an art piece resembling a textile version of a stain glass window, and textile treated with a scent that is freed when rubbing the textile.
The students got to feel and experience the difference between the treated and untreated textiles thanks to the sample handouts that were passed around.
Biesta ended his lecture with the note that the textile industry develops very rapidly, studying new, durable and improved treatments for textiles. This makes Tanatex an interesting opportunity for students to do an internship there. Biesta clearly showed that working with textiles requires ongoing research, creativity and thorough chemical knowledge. The lunch lecture gave a very nice insight in a specific application field of (organic) chemistry.
