An effective and low-consumption foam finishing strategy for robust functional fabrics with on-demand special wettability

Abstract The technologies of superhydrophobic finishing normally involve harmful reagents such as fluorine-containing materials and organic solvents. Non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and large-scale applicable preparation methods for superhydrophobic finishing remain a considerable challenge towards practical applications. In this paper, we proposed a superhydrophobic foam finishing method with a low liquid-carrying rate. This finishing solution is totally water-based without the use of any organic solvents or fluorine-containing materials. Based on the characteristics of low liquid-carrying rate, this method can save nearly 60% of the solution consumption. In addition, multifunctional superhydrophobic fabrics, such as hydrophobic patterns and Janus fabrics, can be fabricated by this foam finishing method. Excellent properties such as superhydrophobicity, anti-fouling, and directional water transportation could be achieved by controlling the amount of superhydrophobic foams. Compared with other finishing technologies, the foam finishing method has the advantages of being facile, rapid in preparation, environmentally friendly, and applicable for large-scale production. This technology could be applied on various substrates and achieve rapid preparation for superhydrophobic surface, Janus surface, and double-sided heterochromatic superhydrophobic surfaces.