Preparation of durable superamphiphobic cotton fabrics with self-cleaning and liquid repellency

Abstract

A durable superamphiphobic cotton fabric was obtained by coating SiO2 aerogel particles, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (PFTES) on a cotton fabric via the dip-pad-dry process. The surface morphology, chemical composition, and thermal degradation behavior characterization of the as-prepared cotton fabric (PFTES/PDMS/SiO2@Cotton fabric) were performed, respectively. It was proved that the coated cotton fabric was successfully covered with PFTES/PDMS/SiO2. The porous rough surface topology structure due to the SiO2 aerogel particles along with low surface energy because of the fluorinated chains and PDMS adhesive layer on the as-obtained PFTES/PDMS/SiO2@Cotton fabric can trap a layer of air, endowing the coated fabric durable superamphiphobicity. The prepared superamphiphobic cotton fabric with a water contact angle (WCA) of 159.0 ± 0.8° and an oil contact angle (OCA) of 154.5 ± 0.7° showed good liquid repellence for common liquids in daily life like orange juice, cola, coffee, and milk, exhibiting excellent self-cleaning and stain-resistance property. Moreover, the superamphiphobic cotton fabric possessed good durability and still maintained superamphiphobicity after mechanical abrasion for 1500 cycles or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for 96 h. This superamphiphobic cotton fabric exhibited potential applications in various fields due to the high repellency to various liquids.