Facile fabrication of robust fluorine-free superhydrophobic cellulosic fabric for self-cleaning, photocatalysis and UV shielding

Abstract

Self-cleaning, photocatalysis and UV shielding cotton fabric was fabricated through a mild, facile and efficient method via ZnO/polydimethylsiloxane coatings. No fluorinated materials were employed during the preparation process. The modified cotton presented a high superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle of 160.4° and water shedding angle of 6.0°. The SEM, EDS and XPS tests were used to investigate the differences of microstructures and chemical compositions of fabrics before and after coating. The robustness of the coated fabric was demonstrated in many aspects, such as immersing in acid and basic solutions, different organic solvents and abrasion test. In addition, the as-prepared superhydrophobic surface displayed excellent self-cleaning due to the synthesis function of superhydrophobicity and photocatalysis. The UV durability and UV shielding characteristics were also investigated. These properties promote the multifunctional cotton fabric as a satisfied candidate in various promising fields.