Evaluating Fluorinated Acrylic Latices as Textile Water and Oil Repellent Finishes

Three fluoropolymer latices, two of them commercially available and the third synthesized as a reference material, are applied by padding to wool, cotton, and polyester fabrics, and their performance is evaluated by means of technological standard test methods for water repellency, oil repellency, fabric hand, and mechanical properties. Surface modifications are further characterized by electron microscopy and less conventional techniques such as static and dynamic contact angle measurements, in order to assess the relevance of the surface composition and structure, at the microscopic level, for the observed properties of the fabric at the macroscopic level. The fluorinated coating does not significantly alter textile hand. Improved water and oil repellency, assessed by technological tests, generally correlate well to observed static and dynamic contact angle variations, although the latter are the result of a combination of contributions, including those deriving from composition and morphological heterogeneity of the surface exposed to wetting.