Xerolite™ - Ultra-Low Hydrate Mesoporous Precipitated Powder

Spider Chalk Introduces Xerolite™: An Engineered, Mesoporous Powder for High-Moisture Performance Environments

Xerolite™ is a next-generation grip powder developed using advanced materials engineering to address the limitations of traditional magnesium carbonate chalk. Xerolite™ is a low-hydrate, precipitated mesoporous SiO₂ + MgCO₃, a highly structured material characterized by a large internal pore network and exceptionally high surface area.

This mesoporous architecture enables 300% increased moisture absorption compared to conventional chalk, capturing sweat within the powder’s internal structure rather than allowing surface saturation. As a result, Xerolite™ maintains a dry, friction-stable interface even under sustained perspiration and repeated contact.

Xerolite™ further incorporates low-hydrate engineering principles, minimizing free water retention and preventing the caking, glazing, and paste formation commonly observed with standard magnesium carbonate. This design allows the powder to remain free-flowing and functionally dry, extending effective grip duration while reducing the need for frequent reapplication.

Laboratory-driven formulation and material selection give Xerolite™ a measurably higher hydrophilic, oleophilic, and lipophilic capacity and more consistent performance profile than traditional ultra-high-purity magnesium carbonate chalk. The result is a higher-friction, longer-lasting grip solution optimized for high-output training environments, including climbing, strength sports, CrossFit, and hybrid endurance disciplines.

Xerolite™ represents a shift from commodity chalk to engineered grip—designed at the material level for athletes operating in high-moisture, high-demand conditions.

Materials Science: Xerolite™

Engineered at the Micro- and Nano-Scale

Xerolite™ is not conventional chalk. It is an engineered grip material developed using advanced mesoporous hydrophilic powder, designed to manage moisture at the microscopic level where grip failure actually begins.

Aerogel and Silica Silylates only increase grip-until the introduction of moisture.

Xerolite™ unites friction and absorption, outperforming Aerogel and Silica Silylate in all real-world tests.

Core Materials

Xerolite™ utilizes high-purity, amorphous silicon dioxide with a mesoporous internal structure, defined by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as pore diameters between 2 and 50 nanometers (nm).

Typical pore size distribution in Xerolite™-grade material: 6–20 nm average pore diameter

This engineered pore architecture creates a vast internal surface network capable of trapping moisture internally rather than allowing surface saturation.

Surface Area & Adsorption Capacity

• BET specific surface area: ~500–1,200 m²/g

• Total pore volume: ~0.6–1.5 cm³/g

For comparison, traditional magnesium carbonate chalk possesses only a fraction of this internal surface area and relies primarily on surface wetting, which leads to rapid saturation, caking, and grip degradation.

Low-Hydrate Engineering

Xerolite™ is designed as a low-hydrate adsorbent system.

Moisture interaction occurs primarily through:

• Physisorption

• Capillary condensation within mesopores

• Hydrogen bonding via surface silanol groups (≡Si–OH)

Water molecules are sequestered inside the pore network instead of forming a hydrated surface layer. This prevents paste formation, glazing, and loss of friction under sustained sweat exposure.

Particle Morphology & Functional Stability

• Amorphous, non-crystalline structure

• Sub-micron primary particles aggregated into stable micron-scale clusters

• Irregular, high-surface-energy morphology optimized for contact efficiency

This structure provides:

• Advanced lipophilic (oil-dissolving) properties

• Extreme hydrophilic properties in humid environments

• Consistent dispersion across the skin–equipment interface

• Hydrophilic for sweat. Oleophilic and lipophilic for skin oils.

Functional Advantage Over Traditional Chalk

Why It Matters for Athletes

Grip loss does not occur because chalk “runs out” but because moisture overwhelms the material’s ability to manage hydration. Xerolite™ addresses this at the materials-science level, delivering higher absorption capacity, longer functional dryness, and more consistent friction during high-output training.