Three former students from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences (HSNR) and the Aachen University of Applied Sciences have developed a new yarn called “Octogarn” that is unwettable, meaning it remains dry even when it comes into contact with water.
This new invention could not only solve the annoying problem of wet bath linen, but also eliminate the need to dry textiles and more. It is worth 1.84 million euros to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection – that’s how much it wants to invest through its funding program “EXIST – start-ups from science”. A prototype is to be developed by the end of the funding period in February 2026.
“’Octogarn’ is free of harmful substances, sustainable, cold-insulating, breathable and friction-reducing. It has a similar effect to the lotus effect, so it is water-repellent. But it has a crucial added value: it is unwettable. This means: If you submerge a textile completely under water, it remains dry,” says a press release.
“An effect that is hardly known in the textile industry,” says idea creator Alexandra Plewnia. At the moment, many water-repellent textiles, especially tech textiles, cannot do without the combination of fluoropolymers. Green alternatives are more environmentally friendly, but often not powerful enough. “Octogarn” wants to solve both problems.
How did “Octogarn” come about?
Plewnia researched “Octogarn” for around two years as part of her master’s degree in the textile and clothing technology department. As part of her elective course in nanotechnology, she dealt with the topic of functionality and the result is the new type of yarn.
With her idea, Plevnia won the “Battle of Ideas” university competition in 2022. The 20,000 euros in prize money went directly towards registering the patent. Since then, the team has expanded to include Sarah Neumann from Cologne, who completed her master’s degree in management and entrepreneurship at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences while working. The team will be completed from November by Melanie Jakubik from Duisburg, who studied the same as Plewnia and will also be responsible for the technology area. A start-up also still has to be founded.
The Niederrhein University team helped with the application for EXIST. “The combination of this high funding amount and the topic of sustainability is truly unique at our university. This is also an investment in the future,” comments Alexander Prange, HNExist project manager and HSNR vice president for research and transfer.