Highly Hydrophobic Cotton Fabrics Modified by Poly(methylhydrogen)siloxane and Fluorinated Olefin: Characterization and Applications

Abstract

Highly hydrophobic cotton fabrics were obtained with poly(methylhydrogen)siloxane (PMHS) and a further fluorinated olefin modification. The chemical structures and microstructures of PMHS-modified cotton fabrics were characterized, and application of the resultant cotton fabrics in stain resistance and oil–water separation was demonstrated. PMHS chains with very low surface energy were grafted onto cotton fabric by the dehydrogenation reaction between –Si–H of PMHS and –OH groups of cotton fabric at room temperature. The water contact angle of PMHS-modified cotton fabric was 141.7°, which provided the modified cotton fabric with good stain resistance to waterborne pollutants. The separation efficiency of diesel from water was higher than 92% for 20 repeatable separation cycles. A further improvement in stain resistance to oil was also demonstrated by a further addition reaction of 1H,1H,2H-perfluoro-1-decene with PMHS-modified cotton fabric.