Material ConneXion Exploration

Category of textile material of interest and why
I currently live with my dog at school and this past summer in New York City. We take two or three times a day. My dog is only a little more than one year old, but the bottom of his paws is already very rough and the vet said it is quite inevitable if he goes outside frequently. In addition, after every walk I clean his feet twice or three times with paper towels and hand sanitizer, since he comes onto my bed everyday. It’s not that dirty in Ithaca, just annoying to get dirt and grass off, but this past summer in New York City, I always had to give his feet three rounds of cleaning until the paper towels used were not all grey. Even after, I was still doubtful that his feet were completely clean. Therefore, this gives dog owners a huge headache. I’ve looked into dog shoes, which take me ten minutes to put on and then annoys my dog so much that he feels awkward to get into his potty position, and dog socks, which retain dirt and every other unwanted matter on the street. I want to find new materials of which dog shoes and socks can be made. Therefore, I narrowed the search on MaterialConnexion by the following: High water resistance, high stain resistance, low thermal conductivity, flexible stiffness, and high scratch resistance. In addition to the general characteristics above, I read through the different choices for more specific characteristics, such as anti-bacterial, antimicrobial, anti-odor, easy to put on, the available colors and etc. I found very suitable materials, even though none of the manufacturers got back to me, since they are mostly located outside of the US.

The five examples I found most fitting were Revolutional Energy, DYNASTAR TiO2 Self-cleaning Membrane, 460 DAKOTA, Lunabrite Ribbon, and Glitter. (See information sheets attached)
Revolutional Energy manufactured by Carvico, Italy (See Appendix 1)
Composed partly of LYCRA, this fabric is highly elastic and thin. Unlike the chunky though trendy-looking boots that I bought my dog for outdoor wear on rainy days and that I never put on for him after using them three times, the stretchability and the contouring characteristic make it easier to put it on and stay on for him and also less bothersome for him. Moreover, it provides great coverage, which protects his paws from the unsanitary streets. Revolutional Energy’s intended applications, such as active sports and swimsuits, also demonstrated that this fabric would be great for my intended use, because dogs run around on grass a lot as well and would need the material that does not trap dirt easily.

DYNASTAR TiO2 Self-cleaning Membrane manufactured by Kanbo Pras Corporation, Japan (See Appendix 2)
An outdoor fabric made from polyester and PVC and coated with titanium dioxide, DYNASTAR has a unique and innovative fabric. Interestingly, the special titanium dioxide coating gives the fabric “self cleaning” properties. “Though the photocatalytic effect that reacts to sunlight and other incident light, such that when dirt, dust and organic matter fall onto the surface of the fabric, the titanium dioxide degrade this organic dirt. Natural elements such as rain and water are then able to remove the dirt from the surface of the fabric ”. Therefore, the fabric is a good match because of its stain resistance. In addition, it is also water resistant and has low thermal conductivity. To be able to use it for dogs’ shoes, it would most likely need to blend with other materials such as LYCRA to make it more elastic.

460 DAKOTA manufactured by Carvico, Italy (See Appendix 3)
Composed of 84% nylon and 16% LYCRA, 460 DAKOTA is highly elastic and able to retain its shape after multiple uses, which is fitting for dogs that walk twice or three times a day. Moreover, the fabric has also undergone Sanitizedbacteriostatic treatment to prevent proliferation of bacteria, which is a desirable feature to dog owners. Furthermore, other attractive characteristics of this fabric for my intended use include abrasion resistance, so that the shoes won’t wear out and expose the dogs’ feet to the rough ground. This water resistant fabric is also used in apparel for swimming, skiing and footwear, so it’s suitable for dog walking during rainy, snowy or muddy days.

Lunabrite Ribbon manufactured by LUNABrite Light Technology, USA (See Appendix 4)
This fabric has most of the desirable features for dog walking but with an additional plus—the “glow-in-the-dark” feature, which will be helpful if dog owners walk their dogs off leash or in a big field when it’s dark, as the fabric is currently used for outdoor way finding. The TPE elastomer ribbons are “pigmented with a light responsive additive and become fully charge with 5-30 minutes exposure to light and can glow for up to 12 hours”. In addition, other notable features are high durability, scratch resistance, UV resistance and anti-microbial finishing. This fabric will have to be blended with a more elastic fiber to be easily worn by dogs.

Glitter manufactured by Jersey Lomellina SpA, Italy (See Appendix 5)
This fabric is a great match for my intended use due to its two-way stretch, stain resistance having been treated with a stain resistant coating, and breathability. It’s also quick drying and has stable and long-lasting fabric properties, which allow the fabric to retain to its original shape after every wear. Current applications are also for sports apparel and swimwear, which is great because technically dogs are having their daily exercises during their walks and jogs.

I am impressed by all these materials and look forward to seeing when and if these materials would be adopted for the same purpose I would want to see used. It would definitely be a popular product among dog owners.

Work Cited
Material ConneXion. (n.d.). Revolutional energy .
Retrieved from http://library.materialconnexion.com/ProductPage.aspx?&Keywords=&Attributes=&Category=&Country=&Manufacturer=&Tag=rev energy&MC=676507&Lang=en&ProdID=&PageNum=1&ItemsPerPage=20&SearchDisp=0

Material ConneXion. (n.d.). Dynastar tio2 self-cleaning membrane. Retrieved from http://library.materialconnexion.com/ProductPage.aspx?&Keywords=&Attributes=&Category=&Country=&Manufacturer=&Tag=dynastar&MC=684401&Lang=en&ProdID=&PageNum=1&ItemsPerPage=20&SearchDisp=0

Material ConneXion. (n.d.). 460 dakota. Retrieved from http://library.materialconnexion.com/ProductPage.aspx?&Keywords=&Attributes=&Category=&Country=&Manufacturer=&Tag=dakota&MC=676505&Lang=en&ProdID=&PageNum=1&ItemsPerPage=20&SearchDisp=0

Material ConneXion. (n.d.). Lunabrite ribbon. Retrieved from http://library.materialconnexion.com/ProductPage.aspx?&Keywords=&Attributes=&Category=&Country=&Manufacturer=&Tag=glow in the dark&MC=591203&Lang=en&ProdID=&PageNum=1&ItemsPerPage=20&SearchDisp=0

Material ConneXion. (n.d.). Glitter. Retrieved from http://library.materialconnexion.com/ProductPage.aspx?&Keywords=&Attributes=&Category=&Country=&Manufacturer=&Tag=glitter&MC=679705&Lang=en&ProdID=&PageNum=1&ItemsPerPage=20&SearchDisp=0

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[ 1 ]. DYNASTAR, Material ConneXion
[ 2 ]. 460 DAKOTA, Material ConneXion
[ 3 ]. Lunabrite Ribbon, Material ConneXion
[ 4 ]. Glitter, Material ConneXion