Design of bioinspired highly efficient, eco-friendly, and self-adhesive emulsion for superhydrophobic polyester fabrics

Superhydrophobic treatment is an effective way to improve the durability and wear resistance of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics. While long fluorocarbon chains can achieve an efficient superhydrophobic surface, they have now mostly been banned because of their bioaccumulation, biological toxicity, and persistence in the environment. Herein, inspired by underwater adhesive materials, a semi-continuous miniemulsion polymerization method was developed to prepare a nanocomposite/fluorinated polyacrylate emulsion and achieve superhydrophobic PET fabrics with strong adhesion. The introduction of nanoscale roughness on the surface, with the incorporation of materials with low surface energy, blocks water and oil from infiltrating the fabrics and enables the self-cleaning performance. The composite emulsion exhibited good stability (zeta potential ≈40 mV), higher polymerization conversion (90.39%), superior superhydrophobicity (163°), and homogeneous particle size distribution (81 nm). Moreover, this self-adhesive emulsion contains environmentally friendly short fluorocarbon chains and could not produce toxic materials in subsequent applications. In addition, the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the treated PET fabrics were greatly improved, while maintaining excellent air permeability. This study provides a simple yet efficient and green approach for achieving durable water-repellent self-cleaning PET fabrics.