Preparation of Fluorine-Free Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric with Polyacrylate/SiO2 Nanocomposite

Fluorine-free superhydrophobic cotton fabric was fabricated by coating polyacrylate (PA)/SiO2 nanocomposite. PA/SiO2 nanocomposite was prepared based on the modified SiO2 nanoparticles with double bonds and hexadecyl groups by solution polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and octadecylmethacrylate (OMA). The obtained cotton fabric showed excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 152.2 +/- 0.4 degrees and a water shedding angle of 8.0 +/- 0.2 degrees, due to the simultaneous introduction of surface topography constructed by modified SiO2 nanoparticles and low surface free energy PA adhesive layer and hexadecyl groups onto cotton fibers. The as-obtained products were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and size distribution analysis. The obtained superhydrophobic fabric coated by PA/SiO2 demonstrated good mechanical stability and self-cleaning. The PA/SiO2 coating treatment caused little loss in the tensile strength, breathability, and whiteness of the treated fabric. This approach with improved human/environmental friendliness can pave the potential way for the preparation of superhydrophobic surfaces.