Abstract
Waterproof-breathable (WB) materials with outstanding waterproofness, breathability, and mechanical performance are critical in diverse consumer applications. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes with thin fiber diameters, small pore sizes, and high porosity have attracted significant attention in the WB fabric field. Hot-press treatment technology can induce the formation of inter-fiber fusion structures and hence improve the waterproofness and mechanical performance. By combining electrospinning and hot-press treatment technology, polyurethane/fluorinated polyurethane/thermoplastic polyurethane/alkylsilane-functionalized graphene (PU/FPU/TPU/FG) nanofiber WB fabric was fabricated. Subsequently, the morphologies, porous structure, hydrostatic pressure, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and stress–strain behavior of the nanofiber WB fabric were systematically investigated. The introduction of the hydrophobic FG sheet structure and the formation of the inter-fiber fusion structure greatly improved not only the waterproofness but also the mechanical performance of the nanofiber WB fabric. The optimized PU/FPU/TPU-50/FG-1.5 WB fabric exhibited an excellent comprehensive performance: a high hydrostatic pressure of 80.4 kPa, a modest WVTR of 7.6 kg m−2 d−1, and a robust tensile stress of 127.59 MPa, which could be used to achieve various applications. This work not only highlights the preparation of materials, but also provides a high-performance nanofiber WB fabric with huge potential application prospects in various fields.
Highlights
Waterproof-breathable (WB) fabrics are materials that have waterproof, breathable, windproof, and warmth-generation properties [1,2,3]
As a silane coupling agent, HDTMS react with hydroxyl groups on the surface of Graphene oxide (GO), and reduce the surface energy of FG owning to the introduced hydrophobic long chain alkyl (Figure 1a)
The peak at 1010 cm−1 was assigned to the vibration of Si–O–Si in the spectrum of FG [30,31]. These spectral characteristics indicate that HDTMS molecules are successfully attached onto the GO, and indicate the successful synthesis of FG
Summary
Waterproof-breathable (WB) fabrics are materials that have waterproof, breathable, windproof, and warmth-generation properties [1,2,3]. Nanofiber membranes prepared by electrospinning technology possess fine fiber diameters, high porosity, small pore sizes, and interconnected porous structures, which afford them the ability to prevent the penetration of liquid droplets yet allow gas or vapor to pass through [9,10,11,12,13,14]. A variety of polymers, such as polyurethane (PU) [15], nylon [16], polyacrylonitrile (PAN) [17], polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) [18], and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) [19], have been utilized in the preparation of nanofiber WB membranes Among these nanofibers, PU nanofibers are the most widely used due to their attractive characteristics, such as good elasticity, high durability, easy-care, and good comfort properties. Park et al [20] first prepared PU nanofiber WB membranes through electrospinning, which displayed poor water resistance (hydrostatic pressure, 3.7 kPa) and good breathability (water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), 9 kg m−2 d−1 )
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