Preparation of Superhydrophobic Fabric Based on Dopamine and Michael Addition under Ultraviolet Light

This work reports a simple, stable, and environmentally friendly method to prepare durable superhydrophobic surfaces. First, a polydopamine coating is formed by oxidative polymerization of dopamine to form a secondary reaction platform to provide reaction sites for subsequent experiments. We applied a polydopamine layer onto a fiber surface using the Michael addition-reaction-grafted tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionic acid) pentaerythritol ester, followed by the introduction of tetraallyl silane and (mercapto) methyl siloxane-dimethyl siloxane copolymer on the polydopamine by a thiol-ene click-reaction under ultraviolet light. The resulting superhydrophobic Nylon 56 fabric exhibited a 166° static contact angle as well as excellent stability. The surface morphology of all samples was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersion spectroscopy, and the elemental composition and surface chemical state of the samples were analyzed. It also had the ability of oil-water separation. Fabric with such benefits broadens the applicability and innovation of superhydrophobic textiles for environmental and industrial applications.