A Highly Breathable and Machine-Washable ePTFE-Aided Down-Proof Cotton Fabric

Abstract

Feather and down textiles are widely used in our daily life, especially in winter. However, they are easily drilled out from the fabric body and are difficult to machine-wash, which thereby blocks their widespread application. In order to solve these issues, a highly anti-drilling, breathable and machine-washable ePTFE-aided down-proof cotton fabric was prepared in this work, which was done by modifying a plain-weave cotton fabric with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) nanofiber membrane via point glue method. The fabrication procedure is simple, scalable and environmentally friendly, which is a prerequisite for large-scale production. The effects of tumble and washing cycles on pore size distribution and the corresponding anti-drilling behavior of the prepared down-proof fabric were systematically investigated. Furthermore, the machine washability, air permeability, thermal insulation and tensile properties of the fabric were studied. The results demonstrated that less than five drilled files escaped from the fabric surface, irrespective of tumble and/or laundering cycles, and it also has the advantages of being lightweight (<83 g/m2), having high breathability, a good thermal insulation rate (≈80%) and can be washed with surfactant by a laundry machine without explosion. Benefiting from the above characteristics, the as-prepared ePTFE-aided down-proof cotton fabric presents its potential application in the field of home textiles.