DuPont Unveils New Polymer
Wilmington, Del.–- based fiber and chemical company DuPont has a new polymer that can be made into a fiber with the attributes of a synthetic and the hand of a natural fiber. And the company has discovered a way to manufacture the polymer from a renewable resource: corn.
Fibers made from the new polymer—called Sorona—have good stretch and recovery, are easy-care and stain-resistant, and offer a unique dyeability that makes them easy to blend with other fibers, both natural and synthetic, according to Joe Carroll, global business manager for the new DuPont unit.
Sorona can take on a variety of characteristics depending on the fiber blend. For example, a 100 percent Sorona fabric has good recovery but when blended with a stretch fiber such as DuPont’s Lycra, it is suitable for swimwear. When blended with cotton, the fiber takes on a natural hand. And Sorona blends can be finished with a peach-skin hand akin to the feel of a microfiber.
Sorona must be manufactured under a specific temperature and tension. The manufacturing process is proprietary, and DuPont has set up a global network of mills in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Europe and North America licensed to produce the fiber.
To get the word out, DuPont is planning to focus on advertising and direct mail, but strictly to the trade.
“We’re producing a polymer that’s pretty far down the value chain” for consumers, Carroll said.
Sorona is currently made from a petrochemical source, although Carroll said that by 2004 the polymer will be made from the renewable resource of corn.
“DuPont has been aware of this molecule for some time but there was no commercial application for it [because] there was no cost-effective route to market,” he said. But once DuPont microbiologists discovered a way to produce the polymer from corn, the company began exploring commercial uses for the fiber. —Alison A. Nieder
