Pilot-scale coating of fabrics with fluorodecyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane/fluoroelastomer blends

Abstract

A durable, conformal coating was developed based on the use of very low surface tension fluorodecyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (Fluoro-POSS) cage-like molecule and a fluorinated elastomer. When this coating is applied, the resulting oleophobic fabrics resist surface wetting by a wide range of liquids having high to very low surface tension values, while remaining durable after repeated washing and abrasion testing. Collected data indicated minimal interference to air flow and moisture vapor through the conformally coated textiles. While textiles having said repellent treatment have been prepared previously by dip and spray coating in non-continuous laboratory applications, in 2012 the US Army Natick Research Development and Engineering Center successfully demonstrated a continuous, scalable application of Fluoro-POSS-treated textiles by way of a 24-inch-wide pad/dry/cure treatment. Material syntheses will be reported, and coating solution preparation and pilot-scale coating parameters will be discussed. Comparative data on surface, chemical and physical properties of lab-scale against pilot-scale coated repellent treated fabrics will be presented. These will include measurement of oleophobic coated fabrics’ contact angle using various liquids such as water and hazardous chemicals, as well as evaluation of chemical permeation test results and physical properties. Future work will examine the effects of different concentrations of low surface tension fluoropolymers and elastomers, hierarchical re-entrant nanostructures, and optimal processing and curing conditions.

Deposition of Porous Sorbents on Fabric Supports

“…Research seeking improvements to DoD protective garments is ongoing and continuous 1 2 3 4 . A previous effort identified the potential of a microwave initiated process for deposition of heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyl)trimethoxysilane on fabrics to produce oleophobic behavior 5 .…”

Water-based, heat-assisted preparation of water-repellent cotton fabrics using graft copolymers

“…Liquid repellent fabrics are highly desirable due to their usefulness in a wide variety of applications, ranging from everyday consumer products such as kitchen aprons or shirts to personal protective wear in the military and medical sectors and to water-oil separation materials. [1][2][3][4][5] Highly repellent surfaces usually possess hierarchical roughness, as well as low surface tension. [6][7][8][9][10] Cotton fabrics are already rough due to their microsize bers; thus, it is facile to turn them repellent using low surface tension compounds.…”

Quantification of residual liquid on repellent cotton fabrics after liquid roll off

“…Soldiers may come into contact with a variety of substances such as dust, oils, chemical and biological warfare agents, which can have a detrimental effect on their health. 8 Thus, it is important to reduce exposure to these hazards.…”