A One-Step Approach for a Durable and Highly Hydrophobic Coating for Flax Fabrics for Self-Cleaning Application

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Developing advanced textile functionalities is crucial for applications like self-cleaning surfaces.
• Hydrophobic treatments enhance fabric performance but often lack durability.
• Flax fabrics offer a sustainable base material for functionalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create highly hydrophobic and durable flax fabrics for self-cleaning applications.
• To investigate the effect of polysiloxane coating on fabric properties.
• To explore methods for controlling mechanical property changes during coating.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a dip-coating method to apply a polysiloxane coating to flax fabrics.
• Employed a hydrosilylation reaction with a Karstedt catalyst at room temperature.
• Analyzed hydrophobic properties using contact and sliding angle measurements.
• Evaluated fabric durability and self-cleaning performance.
• Assessed changes in mechanical properties (E modulus, tensile stress, elongation).

Main Results:

• Achieved highly hydrophobic flax fabrics with a contact angle of ~145° and sliding angle of ~23°.
• Demonstrated good self-cleaning ability for specific pollutants and excellent coating durability.
• Observed a decrease in the elastic modulus and an increase in tensile stress and elongation at maximum force.
• Showed that mechanical property modifications can be controlled by adjusting the curing agent proportion.

Conclusions:

• The dip-coating of flax fabrics with polysiloxane via hydrosilylation yields durable, hydrophobic materials suitable for self-cleaning.
• The coating process offers tunable control over the mechanical properties of the treated fabrics.
• This method presents a viable approach for enhancing flax fabric performance for advanced applications.