Preparation of vinyl silica-based organic/inorganic nanocomposites and superhydrophobic polyester surfaces from it

Abstract

A fluoropolymer/silica (FP/SiO2) organic–inorganic nanocomposite was synthesized by copolymerization of butyl acrylate (BA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), and dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA) based on vinyl nano-silica (V-SiO2) using emulsion polymerization. The V-SiO2 was prepared via water-based sol–gel reaction with vinyl trimethoxy silane (VTMS) as the precursor in the presence of the composite surfactant. The preparation of V-SiO2, influence of the composite surfactant on V-SiO2, effect of composite emulsifier on the properties of FP/SiO2, and the formation of the FP/SiO2 nanocomposite were analyzed. The resulting V-SiO2 and FP/SiO2 were characterized by particle size analyzer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The obtained FP/SiO2 nanocomposites were applied to coat onto the flexible polyester fabrics by dip-pad-cure process. The results showed that the V-SiO2 nanoparticles had been introduced into the FP/SiO2 nanocomposites and superhydrophobic polyester surfaces were achieved by the cooperation of the rough surface structure provided by the silica nanoparticles and the low surface energy caused by fluoropolymer.