Fabrication of durable superhydrophobic coating on fabrics surface for oil/water separation

A superhydrophobic fabric coating with hierarchical structure was fabricated by a dip coating, in which dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTMS)‐modified alumina (Al₂O₃) was used as modifier and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as additive. The effects of the amounts of Al₂O₃ nano‐sized particles and PDMS on the water contact angle (WCA) and the sliding angle (SA) of the as‐prepared fabrics coating samples were studied. The surface morphology of the as‐prepared samples was characterized by SEM, and the abrasion resistance and chemical resistance experiments were performed by abrasion resistance test, tape tear test, and chemical soaking test. The results show that WCA and SA of the superhydrophobic fabrics coating are 158° and 6°, respectively. With the increasing addition of PDMS, the abrasion resistance of hydrophobic fabrics coating is improved. The WCA value of the as‐prepared fabrics coating is still >150° after five abrasion cycles. The obtained fabrics exhibit excellent superhydrophobicity and oleophilicity due to the hydrophobic modification of DTMS for Al₂O₃ nano‐sized particles. And the separation efficiency of the as‐prepared superhydrophobic fabrics coating for n‐dodecane and water system can reach 99.98%. POLYM. COMPOS., 2018. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers