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

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 degrees, 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.