Hierarchical structure coating modified cotton fabric with superhydrophobic and flame-retardant performances

Functional superhydrophobic coatings have attracted a lot of interests due to the promising application in many fields. In this paper, a polymer (PFDB) containing fluorine and phosphorus was synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization to improve flame retardant and hydrophobic performance of cotton fabric. Firstly, PFDB that crosslinked by octavinyloctasilasesquioxane was coated on cotton fabric through ultraviolet curing. Whereafter, a hierarchical pattern was constructed on cotton fabric with the breath figure approach. Consequently, the superhydrophobic surface with 158 ± 2.3° water contact angle was achieved on the modified cotton (SF-cotton). The SF-cotton was found to have repellency to acid-base solutions, soy-source, coffee and milk, revealing self-cleaning and anti-fouling property. What's more, the superhydrophobic/super-oleophilic property of SF-cotton endowed it with 98 % oil-water separation efficiency even after 100 cycles. The flame retardancy, thermal property, chemical resistance and durability of SF-cotton were also improved.