Surface Modification of Polyester/Viscose Fabric with Silica Hydrosol and Amino-Functionalized Polydimethylsiloxane for the Preparation of a Fluorine-Free Superhydrophobic and Breathable Textile

Abstract

This work attempted to fabricate superhydrophobic fabric via a simple immersion technique. Textile fabrics were coated with silica nanoparticles prepared from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to obtain sufficient roughness with hydrophobic surface chemistry. Then, the coated fabrics were treated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to reduce the surface energy. The effects of the PDMS concentration on the surface morphology and superhydrophobicity of as-prepared fabric were investigated. The morphology and the composition of superhydrophobic fabric were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results revealed the formation of spherical silica nanoparticles with an average particle size of 250 nm throughout the fabric surface. The possible interactions between silica nanoparticles and APTES, as well as the fabrics, were elucidated. Investigating the hydrophobicity of fabrics via water contact angle (WCA) measurement showed that the treated fabric exhibits excellent water repellency with a water contact angle as high as 151° and a very low water sliding angle. It was also found that the treated fabric maintained most of its hydrophobicity against repeated washing, as the WCA of superhydrophobic fabrics decreased to 141° after 25 repeated washing cycles. The comfort properties of the obtained superhydrophobic fabrics in terms of air permeability and bending length did not reveal any significant changes.

Study on the Hydrophobicity and Antibacterial Activity of Silica Sol-Chitosan-HDTMS Treated Cotton Fabric Dipped in an Aquas Media

“…First, the decrease in the contact angle after dipping was probably due to the cracks in the silica coating on the cotton fibre surface caused by the swelling of cotton. This is supported by earlier studies, which reported that the contact angle decreased after 25 to 30 washings, and the reduction may be due to cracks in silica film on the fibre surface caused by the swelling of cotton [33,47]. The second reason is the absorption of water molecules by OH groups present on the coated surface during long-term direct contact with water [41,42].…”

Synthesis of a water-based TEOS–PDMS sol–gel coating for hydrophobic cotton and polyester fabrics

“…Innovative prospects arise as TEOS-PDMS coatings find their way into fabric applications, offering fire retardancy 19 and hydrophobicity, with potential for oil-water separation. [20][21][22] By using the combination of TEOS and PDMS, it is possible to create a coating that is both mechanically stable and highly hydrophobic. The hydrophobic properties of the resulting coating are due to the low surface energy of PDMS and the roughness of the surface created by the TEOS-derived silica nanoparticles.…”

“…3,27 While there have been significant advancements in the utilization of TEOS-PDMS coatings on fabrics, the existing literature predominantly explores the use of organic solvents. For instance, studies conducted by Tang (2023) 21 and Hasanzadeh (2022) 22 employed n-hexane and toluene, respectively, in the formulation of their coating solutions. This study focuses on producing water-based hydrophobic coatings for cotton and polyester fabrics using a one-step sol-gel method under acidic conditions.…”

Development of Cotton Fabrics via EVA/SiO2/Al2O3 Nanocomposite Prepared by γ-Irradiation for Waterproof and Fire Retardant Applications

“…There are countless combinations of coatings and fabrications methods for cotton fabrics to achieve different specifications for a wide spectrum of applications such as fabrication of reduced graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles onto cotton fabric for high electrical conductivity and superior electromagnetic shielding efficiency [36], the fabrication of highly durable electronic fabric for flexible electromagnetic performance via a facile dipping and drying method. which can address long term exposure towards the extreme environmental conditions both wet and dry media [37], fabrication of alkyl ammonium functional silsesquioxane /phytic acid complex as flame-retardant layer and hierarchicalstructured titanium oxide@polydimethylsiloxane composite as superhydrophobic layer were deposited and coated onto cotton fabrics was achieved for water-oil separation application [38], fabrication of superhydrophobic flame retardant coating using depositing method of diammonium phosphate solution, and H-ZrO 2 for good wear resistance, acid and alkali resistance and UV resistance excellent and flameretardant performance [39], fabrication of cotton fabric with fluoroalkylated oligomeric silica/triazine derivative nanocomposites for use in the separation membranes for the separation of oil/water [40], fabrication of superhydrophobic fabric by modifying the pristine fabric with silica nanoparticles prepared from tetraethoxysilane followed by amino-modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and through a dip-coating process for superhydrophobic and breathable textile applications [41], fabrication of a super-hydrophobic coating on cotton fabric via sol-gel process using super-hydrophobic glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyl disilazane modified TiO 2 /SiO 2 coated cotton fabrics for oil-water separation [42], fabrication of textile with silver chloride nanoparticles under ultrasound irradiation was achieved for antibacterial activity [43].…”