<For reference>

June5, 2024
Liberta Co.,Ltd.
Sumitomo Chemical Co.,Ltd.
Utax Co.,Ltd.

HYO-GEKI α (Ice Blast) : Japanese Cooling Sensation Technology
Sumitomo Chemical's Comformer®, Temperature Control Resin × UTAX's Cool Touch Printing
to realize clothing with self-acting temperature control
Liberta Co., Ltd. (Liberta) launches in Japan HYO-GEKI α (Ice Blast for global market), an upgraded version of HYO-GEKI
FREEZE TECH, a cooling wear which is the combination of fabric made with the world's ﬁrst*1 solid polymer-based
temperature control material, Comformer® by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd (Sumitomo Chemical) and the world's toplevel technology, Cool Touch Printing, by Utax Co., Ltd. (Utax). (*For product details, please refer to the separate sheets.)
HYO-GEKI α (Ice Blast) is composed of Japanese cooling sensation technologies.
*1 As of the announcement on May 21, 2024, this is the only commercially available oleﬁn resin, according to research by Sumitomo Chemical.

Other existing cooling sensation products, though they provide an excellent cool touch, have had diﬃculty maintaining
the cool sensation for a long time.
The new HYO-GEKI α (Ice Blast) has resolved this issue. It is an epoch-making product that sustains cool sensation formuch longer by adding a new temperature control function to the excellent cool touch function inherited from previousproducts. The most important feature is that the clothing automatically controls temperature through the action of thethermoregulation ﬁbers (*the capacity and range of thermoregulation may be limited under severe conditions).

Cooling performance evaluation data

Temperature-control fabric: Comformer® knitted fabric*5
Temperature-controlfabrics×Cool sensation durability*1q-int(J/㎡-℃)Cool Touch Printing

Temperature-control
fabrics

General Purpose Fabrics

Conve ntional Technology

Cool touch durability*2 q-max(W/㎠)<Notes>1 Cool sensation durability: Contact heat transfer q-int (measured by Unitika Garmentech Co., Ltd.) Test Conditions: test environment: 20°C(68℉), 65%RH; hot plate temperature:
ΔT=10°C(50℉); integrated heat consumption during 60 seconds cumulative time.
*2 Cool touch: Maximum heat ﬂux q-max (measured by Unitika Garmentech Co., Ltd.); test conditions: test environment 20°C(68℉), 65%RH; hot plate temperature ΔT=20°C(68℉)*3 General purpose fabric: fabric without any cool touch properties*4 Conventional Technology: Technology to increase cooling sensation by using resin with high thermal conductivity, thin thread, cool-feeling knitting method or applying certain
cooling treatment except for temperature control fabrics.
*5 The degree of cool sensation the knitted fabric provides may depend on the use rate of Comformer® and other conditions.

How HYO-GEKI α (Ice Blast) works
Cool Touch, Temperature-control Fabric
The original knitted textile with ﬁbers made withComformer®, temperature-control resin, combined with
heat-blocking ﬁbers that attenuate sun heat. It controls therise of temperature inside the clothing under extremely hot
weather or a rise in body temperature and keep it to acomfortable temperature level.

Attenuates heatfrom sunlightwind

Cool Touch, Temperature-control Printing
Cool Touch Printing
Its heat-absorbing feature provides lasting coolsensation by utilizing perspiration and moisture
to lower the fabric's temperature. *1
Temperature-control printing
The cool sensation is maintained by repetitive
absorption and dissipation of heat in response tochanges in ambient temperature, keeping thetemperature inside the clothing within a
comfortable threshold. *2
Deodorant Printing
Microscopic holes on the surface adsorb anddecompose odor components. *3

Advancements

Controls the risein temperature inside clothing*4
skinReacts to perspiration andwind to create a coolingsensation*4
The cooling sensation
lasts approximately 1.5
times longer*2 thanconventional products*5

sweat<Notes>*1[Lasting cool sensation] While the cool touch printing reacts to moisture *2 Comparison test based on contact heat transfer(by the manufacturer)*3 Based on gas removal performance evaluation test *4 Based on in-house simulation test *5 Compared to our Freeze Tech Regular Fit Series

Sumitomo Chemical’s Comformer®: The world's first*1 solid polymer-type temperature-control material

Self-acting temperature controls of Comformer® ﬁber and fabrics make them materials of the future.
Sumitomo Chemical has developed a temperature control resin (ComformerⓇ) based on its own material design
technology. ComformerⓇ is a new polymer designed to utilize the latent heat *3 generated by the phase transition *2 ofthe resin components. Unlike other existing temperature control materials *4, its greatest feature is its ability to absorb
and dissipate heat while maintaining a solid state.
ComformerⓇ can be used the same way as general synthetic ﬁbers such as polyester and nylon; processed into long ﬁbers(yarns) by melt spinning for use in clothing. In case of a sharp change in environmental temperature, ComformerⓇ ﬁber
moderates the temperature change inside the clothing, allowing the clothing to maintain a comfortable temperature forlonger time.
Furthermore, ComformerⓇ is made of 30-40% plant-derived components, making it an earth-friendly material of thefuture.
We are also planning to exhibit and sell HYO-GEKI α (Ice Blast), a ComformerⓇ product, at the Sumitomo Pavilion at Expo
2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan to be held from April 2025.
<Notes>*1 As of the announcement on May 21, 2024, this is the only commercially available ole�in resin, according to research by Sumitomo Chemical.
*2 Phase transition: A change in the state of matter, i.e., from solid to liquid and vice versa.

*3 Latent heat: Heat supplied or extracted during a phase transition. During the state change from solid to liquid (melting), heat is taken away from thesurroundings (heat absorption). Conversely, during the state change from liquid to solid (solidi�ication), heat is supplied to the surroundings (heatdissipation).
*4 existing temperature control materials: Materials that undergo a solid↔liquid change during phase transition (heat absorption/desorption)■How Comformer®, the temperature control resin, is made into ﬁber

Fiber cross-section image

Comformer🄬🄬

temperature control resins

short fiber

Temperature■How the comfortable temperature level is maintained

long fiber

Sheath: Polyester
Core: Comformer

Environmental temperature variation:
day/night, summer/winter, indoor/outdoor, etc.

Environmentaltemperature

Heat absorption

Temperature of resin

Hours
DaytimeNighttime

Heat input from the environment is internally absorbed by the resin

Heat dissipation to the environment due to structural changes inside the resin→ The resin itself does not easily rise in temperature.

→ The resin itself does not quickly drop in temperature.

■ Diﬀerences between ComformerⓇ and other existing temperature control materialsBoth ComformerⓇ and other existing temperature control materials *4 are based on the mechanism of latent heat. The
major diﬀerence is that the ComformerⓇ absorbs and dissipates heat in a solid state, while the existing temperature
control materials undergoes a change of state: solid ⇆ liquid. ComformerⓇ can be used as a ﬁber material, and the amountthat can be placed in the ﬁber is greater than that of other existing temperature control materials, resulting in a higher
temperature control eﬀect*5.

*5 In general, the more weight of a temperature-regulating material is used in a product, the higher its temperature-regulating capacity. Each material's amountof latent heat (J/g) during heat absorption/desorption is constant.

● ComformerⓇ→ ComformerⓇ has a substructure that undergoes a phase transition at a speciﬁc temperature and absorbs anddissipates heat in a solid state. It can be used as ﬁber material as it is.
Existing temperature control materials→The material changes state to solid ⇆ liquid, thereby absorbing and dissipating heat.
When ﬁbered, the material is microencapsulated into the ﬁber.

Because only a limited amount can be kneaded into the ﬁber, its temperature control performance is also
room temperature(104℉)

ComformerⓇ

preserves shape

Existing temperature
Control materialsmelts■ Heat absorption and dissipation capacity of temperature control ComformerⓇ ﬁber

Capable at a wide range of environmental temperatures
The graph below compares the heat absorption and heat dissipation eﬀects of three ﬁbers: a ﬁber using ComformerⓇ, aﬁber using other existing temperature-regulating materials, and a general ﬁber with no temperature control function. It
can be observed that ﬁbers using ComformerⓇ absorb and dissipate heat in response to a wider range of environmental
temperatures. Heat absorption and dissipation can be observed in other existing temperature control materials as well,
but only under certain temperatures. Heat absorption and dissipation eﬀects are not conﬁrmed in general ﬁbers.
Heat dissipation

Temperature control
Comformer🄬🄬 ﬁber

General ﬁbers

Conventional material
Image of ﬁber crosssectionImage of ﬁber crosssectionHeat absorption

Fibers with microencapsulated
temperature control materials（phase-change materials）

Comformer

Temperature [°C]

Microencapsulated paraﬃn

Temperature [°C]

Temperature [°C]

Comparative veriﬁcation of Comformer ® ﬁbers, ﬁbers with microencapsulated paraﬃn (conventional temperature-regulating material),and general ﬁbers. The higher the value of latent heat capacity (J/g), the higher the capacity.

About Cool Touch Printing by Utax
Cool Touch HYO-GEKI Printing

Special printing containing erythritol and xylitol is applied to theentire lining.
When ﬁbers are treated with this special Cool Touch Printing,they absorb sweat generated from human skin, and theirtemperature

decreases

duetotheir

heat-absorbing

characteristics, providing a cooling sensation.
In midsummer conditions with high temperatures, users canSKIN

SWEAT

WIND

experience a sustained cooling eﬀect, making it comfortable forindoor and outdoor summer work, outdoor activities, sports,and many other situations.

Cooling sensation evaluation test: Marked max. -2. 0°C*1 !
*(-3.6℉)

1 Not guaranteed as temperature perception may diﬀer by individuals in the actual use environment.

[Temperature]

Up to -2°C(-3.6℉)*1 compared tofabric without Cool Touch Printing(95℉)

Up to(-3.6℉)(86℉)

Fabric without
Cool Touch Printing*2(77℉)

Fabric withCool Touch Printing*2minutes

Cooling sensation test of Cool Touch Printing by a third-party organization (temperature change per minute)■Test Description:
A sample*2 was taken from the fabric and folded in two, which was used as the specimen. Then, a humidity sensor was placed in thecenter of the folded inside. In an atmosphere of approximately 33°C(91.4℉), approximately 0.2 ml of water is dropped onto the centerof the specimen (above the sensor), and the temperature of the wetted area is measured for 10 minutes.
(From a test evaluating Cool Touch Printing's water absorption and coolness, conducted on March 14, 2023)※2
Freeze Tech fabric without Comformer®

Wash durability test: Retained approximately 70% of performance after 50 washes*3!
[Temperature]

A wash durability test for FREEZE TECH's Cool Touch(95℉)

Maintains cool sensationeven after 50 washes*2

Printing comparing the diﬀerence in cooling performance
before and after 50 washes shows it has strong wash
durability*3, retaining approximately 70% of its initial
performance, deterioration only up to -0.8°C(-1.44℉), even(86℉)

after 50 washes.
*３Not

Fabric with Cool Touch Printing washed
50 times*2(77℉)

Fabric with Cool Touch Printing*2

Cooling sensation veriﬁcation test of Cool Touch Printing conducted by athird-party organization (temperature change per minute)guaranteed as durability can vary depending on the laundry

environment.

■Test Description:
After being washed 50 times, a sample*2 was taken from the fabric andfolded in two, which was used as the specimen. Then, a humidity sensor
was placed in the center of the folded inside. In an atmosphere ofapproximately 33°C(91.4℉), approximately 0.2 ml of water is dropped onto
the center of the specimen (above the sensor), and the temperature of thewetted area is measured for 10 minutes.
(From a test evaluating Cool Touch Printing's water absorption andcoolness, conducted on March 14, 2023)※2
Freeze Tech fabric without Comformer🄬🄬■ Development path:
Initially, we were not looking for a cool touch. Around 2005, we started the printing processing and veriﬁcation ofalternative reinforcing materials for women's underwear. The developed materials were then distributed to lingerie andfast fashion manufacturers.
Later, much-anticipated mass production became possible through passing on the factory gemba technology, but it
was not an easy path.
There were challenges beyond what we had anticipated in passing on technology. Applying a thick coating was diﬃcult,while 50-meter-long fabric is consumed in only 5-6 minutes during veriﬁcation. The technical transfer and veriﬁcation
tests were conducted after the factory's operation hours. So, we worked from late at night up until nearly early morning,and ﬁnally mass production was realized.
Later, the materials were adopted by sportswear manufacturers, and sales channels were expanded to other industries
as well. The company, becoming aware of the demand for it in functional clothing, began the development of a newtechnology, Cool Touch Printing.
The history of Cool Touch Printing began around 2010 and the material was gradually adopted by the workwear andrunning wear industries in 2013.
Sometime around 2016, the company formed a partnership with Liberta and began full-scale production of Cool TouchPrinting. Xylitol, one of the functional agents in Cool Touch Printing, dissolves to take a cooling eﬀect. Therefore, the wash
durability test seemed to be a hopelessly diﬃcult and reckless challenge, as the agent is usually washed out by water
when it dissolves. This contradicting pursuit of wash durability in something that reacts to moisture has been our major
challenge and achievement. Again, we had a hard time achieving mass production because the print agent dried very
easily and was prone to clogging.
However, our technology has made great strides day by day, leading to the current Cool Touch HYO-GEKI Printing.

For media inquiries regarding this release, please contact
FREEZE TECH HYO-GEKI α (Ice Blast) PR Office (Kyodo PR Co., Ltd.)
Contact persons: Kikuchi 080-5023-5027, Takahashi 090-1699-7875
Email: liberta-pr@kyodo-pr.co.jp