View source for Gore-Tex

{{short description|Trademark for a waterproof, breathable fabric}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox textile
| name          = Gore-Tex
| image         = Gore-Tex logo.png
| caption       = Gore-Tex logo
| type          = Fabric
| material      = expanded PTFE
| method        =
| process       = Mechanized
| location      =
| introduced    = 1969
| manufacturer  = [[W. L. Gore & Associates]]
}}
'''Gore-Tex''' is  [[W. L. Gore & Associates]]'s trade name for [[waterproof fabric|waterproof, breathable fabric]] membrane. It was invented in 1969. Gore-Tex blocks liquid water while allowing [[water vapor]] to pass through and is designed to be a lightweight, waterproof fabric for all-weather use. It is composed of '''expanded PTFE''' (ePTFE), a stretched out form of the [[Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances|PFAS]] compound [[polytetrafluoroethylene]] (PTFE).

==History==
{{external media | width = 240px | float = right | headerimage= [[File:Bob Gore Scientists You Must Know video.png|220px]] | video1 = "I decided to give one of these rods a huge stretch, fast, a jerk... and it stretched 1000%", [http://vimeo.com/103516807 ''Scientists You Must Know: Bob Gore''], [[Science History Institute]]}}
Gore-Tex was co-invented by [[Bill Gore|Wilbert L. Gore]] and Gore's son, [[Robert W. Gore]].<ref name=RobertGore>{{cite web|title=Robert W. Gore|date=June 29, 2016|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/robert-w-gore|publisher=[[Science History Institute]]|access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> In 1969, Robert (Bob) Gore stretched heated rods of [[polytetrafluoroethylene]] (PTFE) and created expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). His discovery of the right conditions for stretching PTFE was a [https://www.topical.in.ua/membrana-gore-tex/ happy accident], born partly of frustration. Instead of slowly stretching the heated material, he applied a sudden, accelerating yank.<ref>{{Cite web |last=KooDe |date=2024-01-06 |title=Мембрана Gore-Tex |url=https://www.topical.in.ua/membrana-gore-tex/ |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=Topical in Ukraine |language=uk}}</ref> The solid PTFE unexpectedly stretched about 800%, forming a microporous structure that was about 70% air.<ref name=RobertGore /> It was introduced to the public under the trademark Gore-Tex.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gore.com/MungoBlobs/168/901/ePTFE_INNOVATIONS_PAPER.pdf |title=Innovations in ePTFE Fiber Technology |first=Norman E.|last=Clough |publisher=W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.}}</ref>

Gore promptly applied for and obtained the following patents:
* {{US patent|3953566}}, valid from 1976-04-27 to 1993-04-27 for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a micro-structure characterized by nodes interconnected by [[fibrils]]
* {{US patent|4187390}}, valid from 1980-02-05 to 1997-02-05
* {{US patent|4194041}}, valid from 1980-03-18 to 1998-06-29 for a "waterproof laminate", together with Samuel Allen

Another form of stretched PTFE tape was produced prior to Gore-Tex in 1966, by John W. Cropper of [[New Zealand]]. Cropper had developed and constructed a machine for this use. However, Cropper chose to keep the process of creating expanded PTFE as a closely held [[trade secret]] and as such, it had remained unpublished.<ref name=GoreGarlock>
{{cite court
|litigants=W. L. Gore Associates v. Garlock, Inc
|vol=721
|reporter=F.2d
|opinion=1540
|url= http://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/721/721.F2d.1540.83-614.83-613.html
|access-date=January 6, 2015
}} 
{{cite court
|vol=220
|reporter=[[United States Patents Quarterly|U.S.P.Q.]]
|opinion=303
|court=[[United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit|Fed. Cir.]]
|date= 1983
}}</ref><ref name=Schechter >
{{cite book |last1= Schechter |first1= Roger|last2= Thomas|first2= John|date= 2008|title= Schechter and Thomas' Intellectual Property: The Law of Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks (Hornbook Series)
|chapter=16.3.2.8 First Inventor Defense|publisher= West Academic|isbn=978-1-62810-518-6}}
</ref>

===Gore patent held valid in 1983===
In the 1970s [[Garlock Sealing Technologies|Garlock, Inc.]] allegedly infringed Gore's patents by using Cropper's machine and was [[lawsuit|sued]] by Gore in the [[Federal District Court]] of [[Ohio]]. The District Court held Gore's product and process patents to be invalid after a "bitterly contested case" that "involved over two years of [[discovery (legal)|discovery]], five weeks of trial, the testimony of 35 witnesses (19 live, 16 by deposition), and over 300 exhibits" (quoting the Federal Circuit). On appeal, however, the Federal Circuit disagreed in the famous case of ''Gore v. Garlock'', reversing the lower court's decision on the ground, as well as others, that Cropper forfeited any superior claim to the invention by virtue of having concealed the process for making ePTFE from the public. As a public patent had not been filed, the new form of the material could not be legally recognised. Gore was thereby established as the legal inventor of ePTFE.<ref name=GoreGarlock /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bridges|first1=Jon|title=No 8 Rewired: 202 New Zealand Inventions that Changed the World|date=Sep 2014|publisher=Penguin Group|isbn=978-0-14-357195-7}}</ref>

===Gore patent held invalid in 1990===
Following the ''Gore v. Garlock'' decision, Gore sued [[C. R. Bard]] for allegedly infringing its patent by making [[ePTFE]] vascular grafts. Bard promptly settled and agreed to exit the market. Gore next sued IMPRA, Inc., a smaller maker of ePTFE vascular grafts, in the federal district court in Arizona. IMPRA had a competing patent application for the ePTFE vascular graft. In a nearly decade-long patent/antitrust battle (1984–1993), IMPRA proved that Gore-Tex was identical to prior art disclosed in a Japanese process patent by duplicating the prior art process and through statistical analysis, and also proved that Gore had withheld the best mode for using its patent, and the main claim of Gore's product patent was declared invalid in 1990.<ref name="FedCirc">{{cite web|title=''Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. v. W.L. Gore & Assocs., Inc.'', No. 14-1114 (Fed. Cir. 2015)|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/cafc/14-1114/14-1114-2015-01-13.html|website=Justia Law|publisher=Justia|access-date=November 30, 2017|language=en}}</ref> 

In 1996, IMPRA was purchased by Bard and Bard was thereby able to reenter the market.  In 2002, IMPRA vascular graft patent {{US patent|6436135}} was issued, and Bard sued Gore for infringing it.

In 2006, Robert W. Gore was inducted into the [[U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame]] for his invention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://invent.org/inductee-detail/?IID=240 |title=Robert W. Gore |publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame |access-date=September 20, 2015}}</ref>

In 2015, Gore was ordered by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals to pay Bard $1 billion in damages.<ref name="FedCirc"/> The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the Federal Circuit's decision.<ref name="GoreBard_SC">{{cite web|title=''W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Petitioner v.Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc., et al.'', No. 15-41|url=http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/w-l-gore-associates-inc-v-bard-peripheral-vascular-inc/|website=SCOTUSblog|publisher=United States Supreme Court|access-date=November 30, 2017|language=en|date=October 5, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Gore_Bard_SC">{{cite web|title=Docket for No. 15-41, ''W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Petitioner v. Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc., et al.''|url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/docketfiles/15-41.htm|website=www.supremecourt.gov|publisher=United States Supreme Court|access-date=November 30, 2017|language=en|format=TEXT|date=October 5, 2015}}</ref>

Gore-Tex is used in products manufactured by many different companies.

Gore's patents on ePTFE based fabric expired in 1997 and ePTFE membrane waterproof fabrics have become available from other brands.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lindsey |first=Joe |title=New Fabric Tech Could Be Outerwear's Biggest Advance in 40 Years |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/02/voormi-core-technology/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>

== Structure ==
ePTFE has a porous microstructure composed of long, narrow fibrils that intersect at nodes. Increasing the processing temperature or increasing the strain rate leads to more homogenous expansion with more spherically symmetric pores and more intersections between fibrils.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Ebnesajjad |first1=Sina |title=Expanded PTFE Applications Handbook |date=2017 |publisher=Elsevier Inc. |isbn=978-1-4377-7855-7}}</ref> The formation of ePTFE is enabled by the unwinding of PTFE molecules to create large pores within the structure. This favors highly ordered, crystalline PTFE that allows the molecules to disentangle more easily and uniformly when stretched. The porosity is largely determined by the stretching temperature and rate. Changing the stretching rate from 4.8 m/min to 8m/min can increase the porosity from 60.4% to 70.8%.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hao |first1=Xinmin |last2=Zhang |first2=Jianchunn |last3=Guo |first3=Yuhai |last4=Zhang |first4=Huapeng |title=Studies on Porous and Morphological Structures of Expanded PTFE Membrane through Biaxial Stretching Technique |journal=Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics |date=June 2005 |volume=14 |issue=2 |doi=10.1177/1558925005os-1400205 |s2cid=53348676 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Properties ==
Due to the high work hardening rate of PTFE, ePTFE is significantly stronger than the unstretched material. On a microscopic level, this work hardening corresponds to the increasing crystallinity of PTFE as the fibrils untangle and orient upon the application of an external stress. ePTFE has a strikingly high ultimate tensile strength (50–800 MPa) relative to its full-density counterpart (20–30 MPa) as a result of its high crystallinity. This behavior also yields a negative [[Poisson's ratio]] due to the expansion of ePTFE along all directions, contrasting the more expected reduction in the directions perpendicular to the stress in cases with volume conservation.<ref name=":0" />

ePTFE has tunable porosity based on the processing conditions and can be made permeable to certain vapors and gases. However, it is impermeable to most liquids, including water, a property that is exploited in certain applications such as raincoats. These additional properties in combination with the inherent properties of PTFE-based materials more generally (chemical inertness, thermal stability) make ePTFE a versatile material for a range of applications.<ref name=":0" />

== Processing ==
The most common process used to produce large sheets of ePTFE at scale is a tape stretching process through the following steps:

# A lubricating agent (often an oil) is added to fine PTFE powder until a paste is formed. 
# The paste is extruded into a sheet that is [[Calendering (textiles)|calendered]] to obtain a specific, uniform thickness.
# The PTFE sheet passes through an oven set to an elevated temperature (often around 300C) while simultaneously undergoing an applied stress that dramatically stretches the material. While heating during this step is not necessary for expansion, it improves the uniformity of expansion.
# The ePTFE is sintered to increase its strength. This typically involves heating it to a temperature just above the melting temperature of unexpanded PTFE (340C) so that molecules can diffuse across the boundaries between grains in the material. This reduces the gaps in the ePTFE that might have formed during the stretching step.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cassano |first1=Roberta |last2=Perr |first2=Paolo |last3=Esposito |first3=Antonio |last4=Intrieri |first4=Francesco |last5=Sole |first5=Roberta |last6=Curcio |first6=Federica |last7=Trombino |first7=Sonia |title=Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Membranes for Vascular Stent Coating: Manufacturing, Biomedical and Surgical Applications, Innovations and Case Reports |journal=Membranes |date=14 Feb 2023 |volume=13 |issue=2 |page=240 |doi=10.3390/membranes13020240 |pmid=36837743 |pmc=9967047 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Factors such as strain rate, oven temperature, sintering time, and sintering duration can affect the specific properties of the resulting ePTFE sheet which can be tailored to match particular applications.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Roina |first1=Y. |last2=Auber |first2=F. |last3=Hocquet |first3=D. |last4=Herlem |first4=G. |title=ePTFE functionalization for medical applications |journal=Materials Today Chemistry |date=January 2021 |volume=20 |article-number=100412 |doi=10.1016/j.mtchem.2020.100412|s2cid=233553308 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":0" />

==Environmental and health concerns==
[[Image:Goretex schema-en.png|thumb|Schematic of a composite {{nowrap|Gore-Tex}} fabric for outdoor clothing]]

PTFE is a [[fluoropolymer]] made using an [[emulsion polymerization]] process that utilizes the [[fluorosurfactant]] [[Perfluorooctanoic acid|PFOA]],<ref name=Leh>{{cite journal |last=Lehmler |first=HJ |title=Synthesis of environmentally relevant fluorinated surfactants—a review |journal=Chemosphere |volume=58 |issue=11 |pages=1471–96 | year=2005 |pmid=15694468 |doi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2004.11.078 |bibcode=2005Chmsp..58.1471L }}</ref><ref name=Lau2007>{{cite journal |vauthors=Lau C, Anitole K, Hodes C, Lai D, Pfahles-Hutchens A, Seed J |title=Perfluoroalkyl acids: a review of monitoring and toxicological findings |journal=Toxicol. Sci. |volume=99 |issue=2 |pages=366–94 |year=2007 |pmid=17519394 |doi=10.1093/toxsci/kfm128|doi-access=free }}</ref> a persistent environmental contaminant. The [[International Agency for Research on Cancer]] has classified PFOA as ''carcinogenic to humans.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=IARC Monographs evaluate the carcinogenicity of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) |url=https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-monographs-evaluate-the-carcinogenicity-of-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa-and-perfluorooctanesulfonic-acid-pfos |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=www.iarc.who.int |language=en-US}}</ref>

Gore pledged in 2017 to eliminate PFCs such as PFOA by 2023, although the core technology will continue to be based on PTFE,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gore to drop waterproofing PFCs |url=https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i7/Gore-drop-waterproofing-PFCs.html |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=Chemical & Engineering News |language=en}}</ref> which is a PFAS compound.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-02 |title=Global brands lied about toxic "forever chemicals," new study shows - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3m-dupont-pfas-forever-chemicals-hid-evidence-study/ |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sheldon |first1=Daniel J. |last2=Parr |first2=Joseph M. |last3=Crimmin |first3=Mark R. |date=2023-05-17 |title=Room Temperature Defluorination of Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) by a Magnesium Reagent |journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society |language=en |volume=145 |issue=19 |pages=10486–10490 |doi=10.1021/jacs.3c02526 |issn=0002-7863 |pmc=10197119 |pmid=37154713 |bibcode=2023JAChS.14510486S |quote=The largest single use material within the PFAS compound class is poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE)}}</ref> Many Gore-Tex products have a [[durable water repellent]] coating and the version that do not contain PFCs of environmental concerns are marketed as "Gore PFC<sub>EC</sub> Free DWR". Unlike the "Gore DWR", it lacks any form of oil repellency.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ {{!}} GORE-TEX Brand |url=https://www.gore-tex.com/support/frequently-asked-questions |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=www.gore-tex.com |language=en}}</ref>

From 2024 onwards, the company is replacing ePTFE membrane with an [[expanded polyethylene]] (ePE) membrane in consumer fabrics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Helms |first=Hayley |date=2023-10-24 |title=How Patagonia and Gore-Tex Are Making Waterproof-Breathable Earth-Friendly Too |url=https://www.gearpatrol.com/outdoors/a43241598/gore-tex-patagonia-expanded-polyethylene/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Gear Patrol |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Greens |first=Rob |date=2023-11-01 |title=The Evolution of Gore Tex - ePTFE, ePE and PFC-free DWR Treatments |url=https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/sustainable_gear_the_evolution_of_gore_tex_-_eptfe_epe_and_pfc-free_dwr_treatments-15429|access-date=2025-01-06 |website=UK Climbing |language=en-UK}}</ref> The new material, while intended to perform comparably to the existing ePTFE material, will cost more, and require more frequent washing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leuven |first=Chris Van |date=2023-05-09 |title=We Tested First GORE-TEX Products With ePE Membrane |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/gear/gore-tex-epe-membrane |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Men's Journal |language=en}}</ref>

=== Pollution lawsuit ===
In 2023, two lawsuits have been filed against Gore on the matter of PFAS related water pollution around its [[Cecil County, Maryland]] manufacturing plant and the [[Maryland Department of the Environment]] has ordered an investigation and residents in the monitoring area have been offered bottled water.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wheeler |first=Timothy B. |date=2023-07-19 |title=Maryland investigating 'forever chemicals' near industrial plant in Cecil County |url=https://www.bayjournal.com/news/pollution/maryland-investigating-forever-chemicals-near-industrial-plant-in-cecil-county/article_f0c3195c-1ce7-11ee-937d-6b7e9ab39a5d.html |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Bay Journal |language=en}}</ref> One of the lawsuits alleges that the company knew about the dangers of PFOA/PFAS since the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gore has known of the dangers of PFAS since the 1990s, lawsuit says |url=https://whyy.org/articles/gore-lawsuit-pfas-contaminating-water/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=WHYY |language=en-US}}</ref>

A lawsuit was filed by the state of Maryland in December 2024, focusing on liability for decades of pollution of [[Forever chemical|Forever chemicals]] left by thirteen Gore-Tex manufacturing facilities in [[Cecil County, Maryland|Cecil County]].<ref name="q639">{{cite web |author=The Associated Press |date=2024-12-27 |title=Maryland sues maker of Gore-Tex over pollution from toxic 'forever chemicals' |url=https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2024/12/maryland-sues-maker-of-gore-tex-over-pollution-from-toxic-forever-chemicals.html |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=[[pennlive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Willis |first=Adam |date=2024-12-18 |title=Maryland sues GORE-TEX maker for decades of forever chemicals pollution |url=https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/maryland-suit-wl-gore-associates-pfas-forever-chemicals-W6PRAPMG6NCPBAQME2BS2XSTC4/ |website=[[The Baltimore Banner]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Applications==
[[File:Sportful Gore-tex Windstopper cycling gilet.jpg|thumb|Gore-Tex Windstopper water-repellent [[Cycling kit|cycling]] [[gilet]] for [[road cycling]].]]

Gore-Tex materials are typically based on thermo-mechanically expanded PTFE and other [[fluoropolymer]] products. They are used in a wide variety of applications such as high-performance fabrics, [[medical implant]]s, [[filter (chemistry)|filter]] media, [[Electrical insulation|insulation]] for wires and cables, [[gasket]]s, and sealants. However, Gore-Tex fabric is best known for its use in protective, yet breathable, [[rainwear]].

=== Use in rainwear ===
Before the introduction of Gore-Tex, the simplest sort of [[rainwear]] would consist of a two-layer sandwich, where the outer layer would typically be woven [[nylon]] or [[polyester]] to provide strength. The inner one would be [[polyurethane]] (abbreviated: PU) to provide water resistance, at the cost of breathability.

Early Gore-Tex fabric replaced the inner layer of non-breathable PU with a thin, porous fluoropolymer membrane ([[Teflon]]) coating that is bonded to a fabric. This membrane had about 9 billion [[porosity|pores per square inch]] (around 1.4 billion pores per square centimeter). Each pore is approximately {{frac|1|20,000}} the size of a water droplet, making it impenetrable to liquid water while still allowing the more volatile [[water vapor]] molecules to pass through.

The outer layer of Gore-Tex fabric is coated on the outside with a [[Durable Water Repellent]] (DWR) treatment. The DWR prevents the main outer layer from becoming wet, which would reduce the breathability of the whole fabric. However, the DWR is not responsible for the jacket being waterproof. Without the DWR, the Gore-Tex layer would become soaked, thus preventing any breathability, and the wearer's sweat being produced on the inside would fail to evaporate, leading to dampness there. This might give the appearance that the fabric is leaking when it is not. Wear and cleaning will reduce the performance of Gore-Tex fabric by wearing away this Durable Water Repellent (DWR) treatment. The DWR can be reinvigorated by tumble drying the garment or ironing on a low setting.<ref name="gore-tex1">{{cite web |url=https://www.gore-tex.com/support/care/dwr |title=Durable Water Repellent |publisher=W. L. Gore & Associates |access-date=April 24, 2024 }}</ref>

Gore requires that all garments made from their material have taping over the seams, to eliminate leaks. Gore's sister product, [[Windstopper]], is similar to Gore-Tex in being windproof and breathable, and it can stretch, but it is not waterproof. The Gore naming system does not imply any specific technology or material but instead implies a specific set of performance characteristics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goaao.com/Marmot-files2/F08%20Fabrics%20and%20Technologies.doc |title=Fall 2008 Fabrics and Technologies |date=October 18, 2007 |publisher=Ames Adventure Outfitters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711102622/http://www.goaao.com/Marmot-files2/F08%20Fabrics%20and%20Technologies.doc |archive-date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref>

=== Use in other clothing ===
Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene is used in clothing due to its breathability and water protection capabilities. Besides use in rainwear ePTFE can now be found in [[space suit]]s.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Keats |first1=Jonathon |title=The Accidental Origins of an Outdoor Clothing Essential |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-gore-tex-was-invented/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref>

=== Other uses ===
Gore-Tex is also used internally in medical applications, because it is nearly inert inside the body. Specifically, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (E-PTFE) can take the form of a fabric-like mesh. Implementing and applying the mesh form in the medical field is a promising type of technological material feature.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Simonovsky |first1=Felix |title=Biomaterials Tutorial Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) |url=https://www.uweb.engr.washington.edu/research/tutorials/ptfe.html |website=University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials |access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> In addition, the porosity of Gore-Tex permits the body's own tissue to grow through the material, integrating grafted material into the circulation system.<ref name=Cyborg>{{cite web|last=Bowden|first=Mary Ellen|title=The Cyborg Transformed|url=http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/thanks-to-chemistry/ttc-health-cyborg.aspx|publisher=[[Chemical Heritage Foundation]]|access-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712144834/http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/thanks-to-chemistry/ttc-health-cyborg.aspx|archive-date=July 12, 2016}}</ref> Gore-Tex is used in a wide variety of medical applications, including sutures, vascular grafts, heart patches, and synthetic knee ligaments, which have saved thousands of lives.<ref name=Plastics>{{cite web|title=Wilbert L. "Bill" Gore|url=http://www.plasticshalloffame.com/articles.php?articleId=62|publisher=Plastics Academy Hall of Fame|access-date=October 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402110213/http://www.plasticshalloffame.com/articles.php?articleId=62|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> In the form of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (E-PTFE), Gore-Tex has been shown to be a reliable synthetic, medical material in treating patients with nasal dorsal interruptions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lohuis |first1=P.J.F.M. |last2=Watts |first2=S.J. |last3=Vuyk |first3=H.D. |title=Augmentation of the nasal dorsum using Gore-Tex®: intermediate results of a retrospective analysis of experience in 66 patients. |journal=Clinical Otolaryngology and Allied Sciences |date=2001 |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=214–217 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2273.2001.00453.x |pmid=11437844 }}</ref> In more recent observations, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (E-PTFE) has recently been used as membrane implants for [[trabeculectomy|glaucoma surgery]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Park |first1=Junghyun |last2=Rittiphairoj |first2=Thanitsara |last3=Wang |first3=Xue |last4=E |first4=Jian-Yu |last5=Bicket |first5=Amanda K. |date=2023-03-13 |title=Device-modified trabeculectomy for glaucoma |url= |journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |volume=2023 |issue=3 |article-number=CD010472 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD010472.pub3 |issn=1469-493X |pmc=10010250 |pmid=36912740 }}</ref>

Gore-Tex has been used for many years in the conservation of [[illuminated manuscripts]].<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/03094227.1992.9638574|title=The Conservation of Parchment Objects Using Gore-Tex Laminate|year=1992|last1=Singer|first1=Hannah|journal=The Paper Conservator|volume=16|page=40}}</ref>

Explosive sensors have been printed on Gore-Tex clothing leading to the sensitive voltametric detection of nitroaromatic compounds.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/elan.201000434|title=Textile-based Electrochemical Sensing: Effect of Fabric Substrate and Detection of Nitroaromatic Explosives|year=2010|last1=Chuang|first1=Min-Chieh|last2=Windmiller|first2=Joshua Ray|last3=Santhosh|first3=Padmanabhan|last4=Ramírez|first4=Gabriela Valdés|last5=Galik|first5=Michal|last6=Chou|first6=Tzu-Yang|last7=Wang|first7=Joseph|journal=Electroanalysis|volume=22|issue=21|page=2511}}</ref>

The "Gore-Tex" [[brand name]] was formerly used for industrial and medical products.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s001670050005|title=The Gore-Tex prosthetic ligament as a salvage procedure in deficient knees|year=2000|last1=Roolker|first1=W.|last2=Patt|first2=T. W.|last3=Van Dijk|first3=C. N.|last4=Vegter|first4=M.|last5=Marti|first5=R. K.|journal=Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy|volume=8|issue=1|pages=20–5|pmid=10663315|s2cid=21922259}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|pmid=16410103|year=2006|last1=Grethel|first1=EJ|last2=Cortes|first2=RA|last3=Wagner|first3=AJ|last4=Clifton|first4=MS|last5=Lee|first5=H|last6=Farmer|first6=DL|last7=Harrison|first7=MR|last8=Keller|first8=RL|last9=Nobuhara|first9=KK|title=Prosthetic patches for congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair: Surgisis vs Gore-Tex|volume=41|issue=1|pages=29–33; discussion 29–33|doi=10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2005.10.005|journal=Journal of Pediatric Surgery}}</ref>

Gore-Tex has been used since the 1980s to make [[bagpipe#Bag|bagpipe]] bags as an alternative to bags made of animal hides as it was able to hold air while allowing moisture to escape, and did not degrade with exposure to water.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cottrell |first=Stephen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22rMEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA2001 |title=Shaping Sound and Society: The Cultural Study of Musical Instruments |date=2023-09-13 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-92896-9 |language=en}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="140px">
File:Goretex photo.png|Gore-Tex membrane under an electron microscope
File:Gore 1.jpg|Gore-Tex Medical Devices Sample Kit, [[Science History Institute]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Extended Cold Weather Clothing System]]

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.gore.com/ Gore website]

{{fabric}}

[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Brand name materials]]
[[Category:Fluoropolymers]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1976]]
[[Category:Technical fabrics]]
[[Category:Military technology]]