Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2016, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (4): 990-996.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB201601131

• ARTICLE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Feasible Fabrication of a Durable Superhydrophobic Coating on Polyester Fabrics for Oil-Water Separation

Yang LI,Jia-Dao WANG*(),Li-Ning FAN,Da-Rong CHEN   

  • Received:2015-11-13 Published:2016-04-07
  • Contact: Jia-Dao WANG E-mail:jdwang@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51375253, 51321092)

Abstract:

A durable superhydrophobic coating on polyester fabrics has been fabricated by a simple solutionimmersion method in a solution consisting of a methyl MQ (M: mono-functional silicon-oxygen unit R3SiO1/2, Q: tetra-functional silicon-oxygen unit SiO2) silicone resin and hydrophobic silica nanoparticles. After coating, the microstructured fibers were wrapped by compact hydrophobic nanoparticles that could lower the surface energy of the fibers. Therefore, the obtained fabric exhibited an excellent superhydrophobic property with a water contact angle of 156° and a sliding angle of 5°. It is worth mentioning that the as-prepared fabric was proved to be able to withstand extreme environmental conditions such as mechanical abrasion, acidic and alkaline attack, and UV irradiation. The practical application of the modified fabric for oil-water separation was also demonstrated with a high separation efficiency above 99%. This feasible fabrication method paves the way for using the superhydrophobic fabric on a large scale.

Key words: Superhydrophobicity, Polyester fabric, Nanoparticle, Durability, Oil-water separation