Development of superhydrophobic fabrics by surface fluorination and formation of CNT-induced roughness

Abstract

Superhydrophobictextile material having self-cleaning function was developed by employing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and water-repellent agents.Hydrophobic fabrics were prepared on 100% polyester woven fabrics withvarious yarn diameters and yarn types. The wetting behavior of fabrics withdifferent treatments was compared for: siloxanerepellent, fluorocarbon repellent, and CNT added fluorocarbon repellent. Drawn textured yarn (DTY) fabrics exhibited higher contactangle (CA) than filament yarn fabrics due to the larger surface roughness contributed by the textured yarn. Fabrics treated with fluorocarbon presentedlarger CA and lower shedding angle than those treated with siloxane,because of the lower surface energy of fluorocarbon repellent. Specimens madeof 50 denier DTY and treated with CNT-Teflon AF® showed the mostsuperhydrophobic characteristics in the study, producing the static contactangle>150° and the shedding angle<15°. CNT on fabric surface contributedto the nano-scale surface roughness to hold the air traps like papillae oflotus leaf, giving superhydrophobic characteristics. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.21.1.5762