Tech and Materials… ION Select wetsuits

ION SELECT WETSUITS

Wetsuit and soft goods specialist ION are setting a new standard in wetsuit technology with the use of the wonder material ‘graphene’ as their cutting-edge inner lining. We quizzed them to find out more about this futuristic material and its significance for their wetsuits.

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WHY ARE YOU USING GRAPHENE IN YOUR WETSUITS?!

Graphene Plush is an innovative and brandnew inner lining that means our wetsuits are now 20 percent warmer than other ION models. A lot of effort has gone into improving the ION ION ION ION ION ION ION ION ION ION ION ION ION thermal insulation of wetsuits in recent years, thin the material down until it was only one and achieving 20 percent more warmth than atom thick, as investigations under the microany previous model is without a doubt a signif- scope showed. In 2010 they were awarded the icant milestone. If your winters involve kiting Nobel Prize in Physics for ground-breaking in temperatures of five degrees, you can now experiments on the two-dimensional mateconfidently venture out for a session in colder rial. air and water temperatures than you had previously been comfortable in, meaning more AND WHAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF opportunities for time on the water while you THEIR DISCOVERY? takes 40 minutes to dry where another wetsuit wait for the milder temperatures of spring to arrive. “A 20 percent increase in warmth represents a quantum leap in thermal insulation and wetsuit technology,” explains Kerstin Geier, Product Manager. Graphene has been considered a miracle material since its discovery and sounds more like science fiction than reality. Made up of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern like honeycomb, it is not would take 60... Another advantage of the two-dimensional construction is its high flexibility and stretch. Plus, the extremely strong carbon bonds make the material extremely robust and hard-wearWILL YOU BE USING GRAPHENE PLUSH only the thinnest material in the world, but ing — the perfect protection against unwanted IN ALL YOUR WETSUITS? also one of the strongest. Compared to steel, collisions with reef, rocks and/or your own for example, graphene is two hundred times equipment. It will be used in the models in our 2021 pre- stronger; it is also harder than diamond. One mium ‘SELECT’ line — SEEK SELECT (men) square meter of graphene weighs less than a HOW DOES THE GRAPHENE GET and AMAZE SELECT (women). Our AMP, milligram and is a million times thinner than INTO ION’S GRAPHENE PLUSH? CORE and ELEMENT wetsuits still make a sheet of paper. Its exceptional properties their mark with ION’s classic, high-quality in- make this material extremely interesting for The polyester yarn is dipped into a graphene ner linings ‘Plasma-Plush 2.0’ and ‘Hot-Stuff many different industries including the auto- solution and coated with it. It is important to 2.0’, covering other ranges of use and budg- motive and aircraft sectors, medical applica- note that ION’s Graphene Plush consists of ets. tions, and the semiconductor industry. 100% graphene-coated polyester, as opposed to the graphene wetsuits of most competitor FOR THE NON-SCIENTISTS AMONG AND HOW IS IT USEFUL FOR WETSUITS? brands who only use partly graphene-coated US, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT EXACTLY polyester yarn. GRAPHENE IS? Due to its physical structure, graphene has unique properties that exceed anything pre- WHAT ELSE IS COOKING WITH ION? Sure! Two Russian émigré scientists, An- viously used in wetsuit technology. Graphene dre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at heats up faster and stores this heat much We have just launched the Riot Curv 18, an the University of Manchester, first discov- longer than other inner linings, offering op- Aaron Hadlow Signature harness which is now ered graphene by pressing sticky tape onto a timal thermal properties. Furthermore, the the stiffest, lightest and most durable harness block of graphite. In their experiment, they wetsuit models with our Graphene Plush lin- in our range, offering great freedom of movefound a thin layer of the graphite had stuck to ing dry even faster. To be precise, the drying ment. It features our revolutionary thermal the tape. With additional strips of tape, they time has been reduced by one third. That composite Curv material and EVA cushioning then peeled off further layers, continuing to means one of the new ‘SELECT’ wetsuits only to prevent the harness from riding up. ■