Coating fabrics with perfluorinated compounds is a common way in which clothing and other textiles are made oil and water-repellent. However, there has been growing concern about the use of these chemicals because they contain toxins that harm the environment and don't degrade easily. Kevin Golovin at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and his colleagues have developed a set of chemical equations that relate a fabric's structure and surface chemistry to its ability to repel oils.
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