Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric Research Articles

Durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics with electromagnetic wave absorption based on MoS2/RGO composites

Durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics with electromagnetic wave absorption based on MoS2/RGO composites

Fabrication of versatile and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics using PTA-Ala adhesive

In recent years, the preparation of functional textiles based on polyphenols adhesion has received extensive attention and research. However, polyphenols are prone to peroxidation during oxidative polymerization, which can compromise the interfacial adhesion of their monomers. Reintroducing reactive functional groups after oxidative polymerization of polyphenols may potentially compensate for the lost interfacial adhesion while increasing cohesion. In this paper, L-alanine (Ala) is introduced into poly (tannic acid) (PTA) solution to generate the PTA-Ala via Michael addition and Schiff base reaction. Original cotton fabrics are modified with PTA-Ala solution to enhance adhesion strength between the fabrics and subsequent functional modifiers. A silver nanowire network is then incorporated to increase the surface roughness through tannic acid reduction. Finally, polydimethylsiloxane is applied to reduce fabric surface energy, resulting in superhydrophobic multifunctional OH-PDMS/Ag/PTA-Ala/cotton fabrics. The finished cotton fabric exhibits a water contact angle of 166.7 ± 1.9° and a rolling angle of 5 ± 0.5°. Moreover, the fabric features diverse functionalities such as oil-water separation, photothermal conversion, antimicrobial properties, water collection, and anti-icing capabilities, alongside excellent durability and self-healing properties that extend its service life. This finished cotton fabric demonstrates promising applications in oil pollution control, outdoor clothing and medical protection, highlighting its broad across various industries.

Stable and Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabrics Prepared via a Simple 1,4-Conjugate Addition Reaction for Ultrahigh Efficient Oil-Water Separation.

Superhydrophobic materials used for oil-water separation have received wide attention. However, the simple and low-cost strategy for making durable superhydrophobic materials remains a major challenge. Here, this work reports that stable and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics can be prepared using a simple two-step impregnation process. Silica nanoparticles are surface modified by hydrolysis condensation of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS). 1,4-conjugate addition reaction between the acrylic group of cross-linking agent pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) and the amino group of octadecylamine (ODA) forms a covalent cross-linked rough network structure. The long hydrophobic chain of ODA makes the cotton fabric exhibit excellent superhydrophobic properties, and the water contact angle (WCA) of the fabric surface reaches 158°. The modified cotton fabric has good physical and chemical stability, self-cleaning, and anti-fouling. At the same time, the modified fabric shows excellent oil/water separation efficiency (98.16% after 20 cycles) and ultrahigh separation flux (15413.63 L m-2 h-1) due to its superhydrophobicity, superoleophilicity, and inherent porous structure. The method provides a broad prospect in the future diversification applications of oil/water separation and oil spill cleaning.

Durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics based on fluorinated alternating copolymer and silica nanoparticle: Preparation and oil-water separation

The development of superhydrophobic materials has attracted great attention due to their promising potential in a variety of areas including oil–water separation. In this work, durable and robust superhydrophobic cotton fabrics based on fluorinated alternating copolymer and silica nanoparticle are prepared. Silica nanoparticles are in-situ produced and immobilized onto the surface of poly dopamine (PDA) wrapped cotton fabrics, then modified by fluorinated block copolymer (AB2)nA-b-PIPMSAm, followed by removing the iodine on the polymers, to prepare superhydrophobic cotton fabrics with water contact angle up to 160.8°. The prepared cotton fabrics are durable, displaying excellent resistance to varying organic solvents, acids, alkalis, hot water, sonication and mechanical abrasion. High separation efficiency (maximum 99.6 %) and satisfying reusability for continuous separation of oil/water mixtures are achieved. The separation efficiency for trichloromethane/water mixtures is still as high as 94 % even after 50 times of repetitive separation. In addition, water-in-oil emulsion can be also efficiently handled, displaying high practical application potential.

Stearic Acid and CeO2 Nanoparticles Co-functionalized Cotton Fabric with Enhanced UV-Block, Self-Cleaning, Water-Repellent, and Antibacterial Properties.

Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics with multifunctional features are highly desired in domestic and outdoor applications. However, the short coating longevity and hazardous reagents significantly reduce their commercial-scale applications. Herein, we introduce CeO2 nanoparticles and stearic acid (SA) to develop a fluorine-free, durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric that mimics the lotus effect. The pristine cotton fabric is treated with APTES-functionalized CeO2 nanoparticles by immersion followed by a dip and drying treatment with a 2% myristic acid solution. This sequential process creates a stable superhydrophobic cotton fabric (SA/CeO2-cotton fabric) with a water contact angle of 158° and a water sliding angle of 5°. The results are attributed to the combined effect of CeO2 nanoparticles and stearic acid that enhances surface roughness and reduces surface sorption energy. APTES facilitates the durable attachment of CeO2 nanoparticles and stearic acid to the cotton fabric. The modified cotton fabric is characterized by advanced analytical tools, demonstrating enhanced superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning, and antiwater absorption properties. Additionally, it exhibits remarkable UV-blocking (UPF 542) and antibacterial properties. The designed superhydrophobic cotton fabric unveils good mechanical, thermal, and chemical durability. The proposed strategy is simple, green, and economical and can be used commercially for functional fabric preparation.

Green and sustainable fabrication of a durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric with self-cleaning properties

The use of more toxic reagents in the finishing of superhydrophobic cotton fabrics is one of the main factors that limit the application of the fabrics. Therefore, a green and sustainable method for preparing superhydrophobic cotton fabrics is urgently needed. In this study, a cotton fabric was etched with phytic acid (PA), which can be extracted from plants, effectively improving the surface roughness of the fabric. Subsequently, the treated fabric was coated with epoxidized soybean oil (ESO)-derived thermosets and then covered with stearic acid (STA). The finished cotton fabric exhibited excellent superhydrophobic properties, with a water contact angle of 156.3°. The superhydrophobic coatings of the finished cotton fabric endowed the fabric with excellent self-cleaning properties, irrespective of the liquid pollutant or solid dust. In addition, the inherent properties of the finished fabric were largely retained after the modification. Therefore, the finished cotton fabric with excellent self-cleaning properties has great potential for applications in the household and clothing fields.

Durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric from cardanol/POSS-based polybenzoxazine for high-efficiency oil/water separation

Durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric from cardanol/POSS-based polybenzoxazine for high-efficiency oil/water separation

Preparation of Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric for Self-cleaning and Oil-water Separation

Improving the surface roughness and reducing the surface energy are the main strategies for constructing cotton fabrics with superhydrophobic surface. However, the complex finishing process and poor durability still impede the production and application of superhydrophobic cotton fabrics. Therefore, it is critical to produce superhydrophobic fabrics with excellent durability via a noncomplicated method. In this work, monomers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFMA) were polymerized via free radical polymerization to produce a fluoropolymer. Then, the fabric was coated with the fluoropolymer to construct a superhydrophobic surface via the pad-dry-cure technology. The TFMA unit in the fluoropolymer had lower surface energy than the MMA unit. Under the high-temperature curing condition, the MMA unit in the fluoropolymer was grafted onto the cotton fabric via transesterification, and the TFMA was exposed on the fabric surface. The finished fabric showed durable superhydrophobic properties, outstanding oil-water separation properties, and excellent self-cleaning properties. Given the results, the finished fabric has great potential application in clothing and industrial fields.

Fabrication of sustainable and durable bio-polybenzoxazine based superhydrophobic cotton fabric for efficient oil/water separation

Sustainable and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric was fabricated by combining the eco-friendly enzyme-etching approach and hydrophobic modification. The rough surface of the fiber was constructed by cellulase etching. Superhydrophobic cotton fabric was obtained from further deposition of cardanol-based polybenzoxazine (PC-aps) by dip-coating and thermal curing. The as-prepared PC-aps coated cotton fabric (PC-aps/ECF) possessed special wettability with a water contact angle (WCA) of 154.6° ± 0.4° and an oil contact angle of 0°. The PC-aps/ECF demonstrated exceptional mechanical durability and environmental stability to sandpaper abrasion, ultrasonic treatment, accelerated laundering, corrosive liquids, and high temperature. Moreover, the PC-aps/ECF had excellent separation performance for several oil/water mixtures with high oil flux (as high as 6744.6 ± 177.9 L m−2 h−1) and separation efficiency (all above 99.76 %). Especially, the separation of water-in-oil emulsions was achieved by external pressure filtration using the home-made PC-aps/ECF@PU sponge@ PC-aps/ECF composite with the oil flux up to 27473.2 ± 730.7 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and the separation efficiency as high as 99.65 %. The outstanding durability, high separation performances, and excellent reusability of PC-aps/ECF make it very suitable for waste-water treatment.

Durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics prepared by surface-initiated electrochemically mediated ATRP of polyhedral vinylsilsesquioxane and subsequent fluorination via thiol-Michael addition reaction

Fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (F-POSS) is one of the most popular candidates at present for superhydrophobic coating. Because of its ultralow surface energy, F-POSS has usually been dissolved with expensive fluoro-solvents, and the melting temperature of F-POSS is not high (122–140 °C), which will cause its loss during use. So trying to polymerize/crosslink F-POSS molecules and/or directly graft F-POSS to substrate is important. In this work, we report the SI-eATRP grafting of methacryl POSS (MA-POSS) on cotton and the subsequent amine catalyzed thiol-methacrylate Michael addition reaction of poly(MA-POSS) with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorododecyl-1-thiol (PFDT) for the fabrication of a durable poly(MA-POSS)-PFDT coating. The cotton fabric coated with poly(MA-POSS) was nearly superhydrophobic after 4 h of SI-eATRP process under potentiostatic condition of −0.40 V. Although the water contact angle (WCA) was ~148°, water droplets tended to adhere to the cotton fabric surface even when the fabric was turned upside down. After fluorination, WCA was increased to ~160°, and water drops could slide off when the fabric was slightly tilted. The sliding angle (SA) was ~10°. The as-prepared poly(MA-POSS)-PFDT coating was durable against repeated washing and physical abrasion. After 30 accelerated washing cycles (equals to 150 home laundering cycles), the coated fabric still showed superhydrophobicity. After 800 abrasion cycles over sandpaper, the WCA was still as high as 149°. In addition, the coated fabric had self-healing ability and could restore its superhydrophobicity after plasma etching through heat treatment. After 10 cycles of plasma etching and heat-induced healing process, the WCA of the coated fabric kept at ~154°. Such a durable superhydrophobic fabric coating may find applications in the development of functional clothing for a variety of purposes.

Facile Fabrication of Non-fluorinated Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric

The superhydrophobic surface is easy to lose the superhydrophobicity in the practical applications, due to the fact that the micro- and nanoscale rough structure is easily damaged. Therefore, it is one of the challenges to endow solid surface with durable superhydrophobic property. In this work, the environment-friendly superhydrophobic cotton fabric was prepared by dip-coating methodology. Meanwhile, the cotton fabric was endowed with durable superhydrophobicity. Herein, the octadecylamine was utilized to reduce the surface free energy of cotton fabric. However, octadecylamine was only adsorbed on the fabric surface. Therefore, the hydrophobic resin was employed to supply enough adhesion force. As a result, the limitation that traditional methods frequently utilize additional nanoparticles to construct hierarchical rough surfaces was broken. The water contact angles of the coated cotton fabric at room temperature and 70 °C reached 154.4±0.6° and 120±1.1 °, respectively. Moreover, the coated cotton fabric still reserved superhydrophobic property after 30th cycle’s abrasion and exhibited excellent hydrophobicity after 500th cycle’s abrasion. In addition, the surface free energy of original cotton fabric reduced by 54.7 % so that the coated cotton fabric had outstanding repellency to hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide solution, coffee and sodium chloride solution, respectively.

Bio-inspired cotton fabric with superhydrophobicity for high-efficiency self-cleaning and oil/water separation

In this paper, a facile and efficient approach to robust and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric was presented via in situ CuO deposition and stearic acid (STA) coating. The combined effects of both rough structure and low surface energy endowed cotton fabric (Cot) with superhydrophobicity, water repellency, and self-cleaning property. Moreover, the as-prepared fabric (Cot–CuO–STA) could keep its robust superhydrophobicity under harsh environmental conditions of acidic, alkaline and salt solutions, high temperature, mechanical abrasion and washing. Importantly, the obtained Cot–CuO–STA with WCA of 156.5° had great potential in oil/water separation with high separation efficiency of up to 98.7% for various oils (dichloromethane, trichloromethane, soybean oil, and n-heptane). Further, fascinating permeate flux (more than 1800 L.m−2.h−1) and remarkable recyclability made Cot–CuO–STA a promising application in oil-contaminated water treatment and marine spilt oil cleanup. Robust and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric was fabricated for oil/water separation via a facile and efficient route. The resultant fabric exhibited remarkable separation efficiency for different kinds of oils, fascinating permeate flux, and excellent recyclability.

Methyltrimethoxysilane as a multipurpose chemical for durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric

A super hydrophobic fabric (SF) has been fabricated by a simple immersion of the pristine cotton fabric into the composite silanes solution of hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) and methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS). However, the cotton fabric treated by HDTMS solely possesses much inferior hydrophobicity as compared with the so-obtained SF and the cotton fabric treated by MTMS remains super hydrophilic. The methyl group in MTMS may be helpful for the long alkyl chain in HDTMS to form a well-ordered structure and thus the hydrophobicity of the composite silane is enhanced. The other benefits of adding MTMS to HDTMS are the shortening of the treating time to obtain the optimum hydrophobicity, which is 4 h for HDTMS and 1.5 h for the composite silanes, and the improving of the laundering / abrading durability of the SF. This work discloses new ways in understanding the silanes interaction and enlightens us on exploiting durable SF for practical application.

Development of durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics coated with silicone/stearic acid using different cross-linkers

Nano/micro-scaled surface roughness has been broadly applied for the development of water repellent merchandise. However, the sophisticated procedures, costly and harmful materials employed in the majority of superhydrophobic surface modification techniques have limited their usage. Herein, we develop a mechanically durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric via simple modification of surface roughness using cheap and nontoxic composite. Commercial RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanized) silicone and stearic acid were employed for the surface roughness control. Simple pad-dry-cure and spray-coating approaches were employed to create highly water repellent cotton fabric with high contact angles. Depending on RTV and fatty acid ratio, it was possible to obtain a rough surface with a hierarchical morphology. The stearic fatty acid was admixed with RTV to be effectively applied via both pad-dry-cure and spray-coating techniques onto a pre-treated cotton fabric surface using three different cross-linkers, including citric acid, 3-Isocyanatepropyltriethoxysilane (IPES) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The wetting performance was found to depend on the concentration of RTV in toluene as a solvent introducing surface roughness with static water contact angle near to 170° and low sliding angle values as low as 4°. The surface morphological properties of the coated cotton substrates were explored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The superhydrophobic performance was investigated employing both of wettability time static water contact angle measurements. The chemical composition of coated cotton substrates was studied employing Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). Both mechanical and antimicrobial properties of the treated fabrics were investigated. The coated cotton substrates exhibited improved superhydrophobic performance without adversely affecting on its pristine physico-mechanical characteristics. The comfort properties of coated cotton fabrics were also examined by exploring their bending length and air permeability. The results demonstrated durable superhydrophobic performance of the coated samples, presenting a good chance for a large-scale production of superhydrophobic garments for a variety of industrial applications.

Fabrication and characterization of degradable and durable fluoride-free super-hydrophobic cotton fabrics for oil/water separation

A simple and mild low-cost method for fabricating fluoride-free super-hydrophobic cotton fabrics is presented. The two-step method involves the decoration of the cotton fabrics by ZnO nano-rods to construct rough surface and the grafting of low surface energy stearic acid (SA) onto the as-decorated cotton fabrics via an immersion route. The as-prepared ZnO/SA modified cotton fabrics were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The wetting behavior of coffee, milk, tea, water dyed by methylene blue, strong acid (HCl), strong alkali (NaOH), and saturated salt solution (NaCl) on the ZnO/SA modified cotton fabrics was evaluated with a contact angle tester, and the durability of the ZnO/SA modified cotton fabrics in corrosive liquids and under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was tested. In addition, the oil/water separation efficiency of the ZnO/SA modified cotton fabrics towards the oil/water mixed solutions of n-hexane, liquid paraffin, dichloromethane, chloroform and motor oil with different density and viscosity was investigated; and their degradation rate under harsh conditions (e.g., immersion in acid and alkali or exposure to UV irradiation) was calculated. Results demonstrate that ZnO and SA are chemically bonded onto the surface of cotton fabrics to achieve super-hydrophobicity. The as-prepared ZnO/SA modified cotton fabrics exhibit a water contact angle of over 164°; and they retain the super-hydrophobicity after immersion in acid and alkali solutions or under UV irradiation. Besides, they have an oil/water separation efficiency of over 96.5% for all the tested liquids as well as a biodegradability rate of 59.0% after immersion in phosphate buffer saline solution containing cellulase (pH = 4.8) for 15 days. Therefore, the present approach could be applicable to constructing durable super-hydrophobic cotton fabrics with promising potential for oil/water separation in industry.

One-Step Fabrication of Self-Healing and Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabrics Based on Silica Aerogel

One-Step Fabrication of Self-Healing and Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabrics Based on Silica Aerogel

Fabrication of superhydrophobic coatings on cotton fabric using ultrasound-assisted in-situ growth method

A highly durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric was fabricated via an ultrasound-assisted in situ growth method. The morphology and the component of the superhydrophobic coating on cotton fabric were characterized by SEM and FT-IR, respectively. The as-prepared superhydrophobic cotton fabric shows liquid repellency for common household liquids, outstanding stability in deionized water, various solvents, strong acidic/alkali solution, and boiling water, and good mechanical robustness after sandpaper abrasion test. Furthermore, the fabric coating shows both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties simultaneously with a high water contact angle of 154 ± 0.5°. Thus, the as-prepared superhydrophobic cotton fabric can be used to separate the oil/water mixtures (e.g., n-hexane, n-heptane, dodecane, and kerosene) and the separation efficiency was more than 96%. In addition, the obtained fabric maintains good reusability after 50 separation cycles with above 97% of the separation efficiency for the both dodecane/water and n-heptane/water mixture. The as-prepared fabric coating shows high separation efficiency, stable recyclability, and better durability, which can be used in oil spill accidents for oil/water separation.

Durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric for oil/water separation

Oily wastewater not only pollutes the environment seriously but also is difficult to separate. Herein, by spraying the polytetrafluoroethylene aqueous dispersion onto the cotton fabric, a superhydrophobic/superoleophilic cotton fabric (coded as SSCF) was prepared. The so-prepared SSCF could separate the stratified and emulsified oil with high separation efficiency (above 95.0%). Moreover, the SSCF possessed excellent durability under different conditions, such as abrasion, ultrasonication in ethanol, immersion in boiling (ice) water and different aqueous solutions of HCl (1M)/NaOH (1M)/NaCl (1M), and organic solvents (kerosene and toluene). These experimental results showed that the SSCF provided an effective method in oil/water separation.

Self-healing of the superhydrophobicity by ironing for the abrasion durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics.

Self-healing of the superhydrophobic cotton fabric (SCF) obtained by the radiation-induced graft polymerization of lauryl methacrylate (LMA) and n-hexyl methacrylate (HMA), can be achieved by ironing. Through the steam ironing process, the superhydrophobicity of the SCFs will be regenerated even after the yarns are ruptured during the abrasion test under a load pressure of 44.8 kPa. SCFs made from LMA grafted cotton fabric can ultimately withstand at least 24,000 cycles of abrasion with periodic steam ironing. The FT-IR microscope results show that the migration of the polymethacrylates graft chains from the interior to the surface is responsible for the self-healing effect.

Robust and Durable Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabrics for Oil/Water Separation

By introducing the incorporation of polyaniline and fluorinated alkyl silane to the cotton fabric via a facile vapor phase deposition process, the fabric surface possessed superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 156° and superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle of 0°. The as-prepared fabric can be applied as effective materials for the separation of water and oil mixture with separation efficiency as high as 97.8%. Compared with other materials for oil/water separation, the reported process was simple, time-saving, and repeatable for at least 30 times. Moreover, the obtained fabric kept stable superhydrophobicity and high separation efficiency under extreme environment conditions of high temperature, high humidity, strong acidic or alkaline solutions, and mechanical forces. Therefore, this reported fabric has the advantages of scalable fabrication, high separation efficiency, stable recyclability, and excellent durability, exhibiting the strong potential for industrial production.