Robust superhydrophobic fabrics by infusing structured polydimethylsiloxane films

Sustainable approach to oil recovery from oil spills through superhydrophobic jute fabric

Ecosystems suffer from increased oil exploitation and frequent oil spills, which calls for effective, environment-friendly, and economically viable solutions. To address this, abandoned gunny sacks as the concerned jute fabric were superhydrophobically (water contact angle ∼159°) modified, incorporating titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS), rendering a facile drop casting procedure. The modified superhydrophobic-superoleophilic jute fabric has been identified as a high-performance filter with superior reusability that can separate oil-water mixtures in challenging environmental conditions (including potent acidic, alkaline, highly saline, aqueous, frigid, and blistering water environments) while maintaining high separation efficiency. In continuation, static conditions indulging a batch and continuous oil separation performance and dynamic conditions stimulating turbulence in the oil-water mixture were proficiently carried out, mimicking real-world circumstances. As a result, the modified jute fabric has the advantages of high separation efficiency, stable recyclable properties, and outstanding durability, highlighting its enormous potential for use in practical applications.

Construction of Durable Self-Cleaning PDMS Film on Polyester Fabric Surface

The superhydrophobic surface can be prepared by two methods; one is by reducing the surface energy, and the other is by constructing a micro-nano rough structure. To achieve high superhydrophobic performance in terms of durability, the firm combination of hydrophobic coating and substrate is particularly important. Here, we use polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a low surface energy monomer, water-borne polyurethane (WPU) as a dispersing aid, and use high-power ultrasound to disperse PDMS in water to make emulsion. The polyester matrix is etched by atmospheric plasma, dipped in PDMS emulsion, dried, and finally baked to induce PDMS on the surface of polyester fiber to cross-link into film. A series of tests on the self-cleaning polyester fabric prepared by this method show that when the concentration of PDMS is 8 g/L and the mass ratio of PDMS to WPU is 20:1, the water contact angle (WCA) reaches the maximum value of 148.2°, which decreases to 141.5° after 200 times of washing and 138.6° after 5000 times of rubbing. Before and after PDMS coating, the tensile strength of polyester fabric increases from 489.4 N to 536.4 N, and the water vapor transmission decreases from 13,535.7 g/(m²·d) to 12,224.3 g/(m²·d). This research is helpful to the large-scale production of self-cleaning polyester fabric. In the future, on the basis of this research, we will add functional powder to endow self-cleaning polyester fabric with higher hydrophobicity and other properties.