13 th AUTEX World Textile Conference May 22 nd to 24 th 2013, Dresden, Germany 1 DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A NEW CONCEPT OF CORK SUBSTRATE IN FOOTWEAR AND CLOTHING A. SILVA, J. PEIXOTO, A.P. SOUTO University of Minho, Textile Engineering Department, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058, Guimarães, Portugal souto@det.uminho.pt Abstract: In the present work a “cork substrate” is developed aiming the achievement of an innovative material with ideal properties to respond to clothing and footwear applications. The preparation phases of leather processing are highly complex, with a large level of environmental aggressiveness. Garment and footwear industries are widely looking for new materials and applications able to reduce industrial pollutant charge, as well as new processes with lower water and energy consumption and higher economic advantages. Nowadays the conventional material to produce footwear is leather because it combines excellent properties such as: breathability, softness and thermal conductivity. A cork skin is laminated with membranes and textile fabrics and a comparison with leather properties has been done. The inner layer is made with a twill fabric that can be dyed and finished to confer functionalized properties. The results obtained are very promising and the possibility of using this laminated is demonstrated. Keywords: Laminated cork; innovative material; process optimization; comfort; aesthetics; breathability. 1. Introduction The production of leather is a quite complex process that involves a sequence of chemical reactions and mechanical processes with a high environmental impact [1]. A large quantity of the leather used in footwear is processed with chromium tanning; however, this substance causes skin allergies and is highly injurious to health [2]. Cork is the bark of an Oak tree known botanically as Quercus suber L. [3, 4]. The cork-tree offers the advantage of being the only tree whose bark can regenerate it self after harvest, making it a truly renewable material. In terms of morphology, cork can be described as an isotropic material with close cellular structure and thin-walled cells, presenting an alveolar structure similar to a honeycomb [5]. Cork is a versatile raw material, capable of adapting to different technological processes of transformation and thus gives rise to different applications, having unique properties. It is light, does not absorb water, is compressible, impermeable to liquids and the very low thermal conductivity made it a good insulator [4]. The presented laminated cork substrate is impermeable, once the intermediate layer has a hydrophilic membrane in its constitution. The breathable membranes are polymer films impermeable to liquids, which allow vapour transmission by a molecular mechanism. Thus, the breathable membranes are able to operate as a barrier to liquid water and soil coming from the environment, allowing significant amounts of perspiration [6, 7]. A laminated fabric may be defined as a material consisting of two or more layers, where in at least one of them is a textile, bonded together by an adhesive [8]. In this study, the membrane is connected either to the fabric or to the cork. The lamination brings two or more layers of material together in one product and is used for many different applications including apparel, shoe, home textiles and transportation. Coating and laminating are methods to improve the physical and chemical properties and appearance of fabrics, creating the possibility to design new products, combining the advantages of different materials, such as fabrics, cork, polymers, foams and films [9]. 2. Materials The most relevant aspects related to experimental methodology will be listed in detail, materials, procedures, equipment and respective standards used for these tests.