Facile Preparation of Superhydrophobic Polyester Surfaces with Fluoropolymer/SiO2 Nanocomposites Based on Vinyl Nanosilica Hydrosols

A facile method to prepare superhydrophobic fluoropolymer/SiO2 nanocomposites coating on polyester (PET) fabrics was presented. The vinyl nanosilica (VSiO2) hydrosols were prepared via one-step water-based sol-gel reaction with vinyl trimethoxy silane as the precursors in the presence of the base catalyst and composite surfactant. Based on the VSiO2 hydrosol, a fluorinated acrylic polymer/silica (FAP/SiO2) nanocomposite was prepared by emulsion polymerization. The FAP/SiO2 nanocomposites were coated onto the polyester fabrics by one-step process to achieve superhydrophobic surfaces. The results showed that silica nanoparticles were successfully incorporated into the FAP/SiO2 nanocomposites, and a specific surface topography and a low surface free energy were simultaneously introduced onto PET fibers. The prepared PET fabric showed excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 151.5 degrees for a 5 L water droplet and a water shedding angle of 12 degrees for a 15 L. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40340.