At room temperature, hydrophobic cotton fiber materials were prepared with the impregnation method, and their wetting characteristics, microstructure, chemical composition, and durability were systematically investigated. With cotton fibers as the substrate, polyolefin-polysiloxane as the impregnation solution, and anhydrous ethanol as the solvent, hydrophobic cotton fiber materials were successfully prepared through a single-cloth impregnation process. Optimal impregnation parameters were determined via orthogonal experiments. Surface morphology and chemical composition were characterized and analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Wetting behavior was investigated with a contact angle measuring instrument and a high-definition camera. Self-cleaning performance, abrasion resistance, and chemical stability were evaluated through peel tests, sandpaper abrasion tests, acid-alkali resistance tests,warm water immersion tests and oil absorption rate testing. After polyolefin-polysiloxane impregnation, the surface roughness of hydrophobic cotton fiber materials significantly increased, raising the proportion of trapped air and thereby exhibiting outstanding superhydrophobicity, abrasion resistance, and chemical stability. Chemical structural analysis revealed the disappearance of hydroxyl absorption peaks in the cotton fiber material post-impregnation, with the emergence of a C—O—Si infrared absorption peak at 1 192 cm-1. Combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it was confirmed that the hydrolysis products of polyolefin-polysiloxane underwent grafting reactions with the hydroxyl groups on the cotton fiber surface. This resulted in the cotton fiber surface being coated by the long-chain alkane structure of polyolefin-polysiloxane, forming a dense hydrophobic layer. Wetting performance tests revealed that the hydrophobic cotton fiber material exhibited a water contact angle as high as 170° after impregnation, along with excellent self-cleaning properties, enabling easy stain removal through simple water washing. This hydrophobic cotton fiber material exhibited an adsorption capacity of up to 1037% for light oils (n-hexane), 1 437% for aromatic compounds, and as high as 2 580% for heavy oils (such as dichloromethane). Moreover, after more than eight oil-water separation cycles, the water contact angle of this hydrophobic material decreased only to 149°, maintaining excellent hydrophobic performance. Abrasion resistance tests showed that after 20 tape stripping cycles and 20 sandpaper abrasion cycles, the water contact angle of the hydrophobic cotton fiber material remained above 150°. After 48-hour immersion in strong acidic (pH=3) and alkaline (pH=13) solutions, the water contact angle remained above 150°, indicating that its rough nanostructure effectively trapped air to maintain superior hydrophobicity and chemical stability. Furthermore, when continuous use caused the water contact angle to drop below 150°, soaking in a 60 ℃ water bath followed by drying restored the angle to over 168°. This demonstrated the material's recyclability, aligning with sustainable development principles. In summary, the hydrophobic cotton fiber material prepared via the impregnation method exhibits outstanding superhydrophobicity, durability, and recyclability, demonstrating broad application prospects in oil-water separation.
Key words
cotton fibre /
PAO-PDMS /
impregnation method /
hydrophobic cotton fiber material /
oil-water separation
{{custom_sec.title}}
{{custom_sec.title}}
{{custom_sec.content}}
References
[1] MACÍAS-ZAMORA J V. Ocean Pollution[M]//Waste. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2011: 265-279.
[2] GUAN Y H, QIAO D, DONG L M, et al.Efficient Recovery of Highly Viscous Crude Oil Spill by Superhydrophobic Ocean Biomass-Based Aerogel Assisted with Solar Energy[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023, 467: 143532.
[3] LIU S Q, WAN W C, ZHANG X T, et al.All-Organic Fluorine-Free Superhydrophobic Bulk Material with Mechanochemical Robustness and Photocatalytic Functionality[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2020, 385: 123969.
[4] DASHAIRYA L, SAHU A, SAHA P.Stearic Acid Treated Polypyrrole-Encapsulated Melamine Formaldehyde Superhydrophobic Sponge for Oil Recovery[J]. Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, 2019, 2(1): 70-82.
[5] XU J F, CAO R, LI M S, et al.Superhydrophobic and Superoleophilic Cuttlebone with an Inherent Lamellar Structure for Continuous and Effective Oil Spill Cleanup[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2021, 420: 127596.
[6] NATSUME Y, TOYOTA T.Giant Vesicles Containing Microspheres with High Volume Fraction Prepared by Water-in-Oil Emulsion Centrifugation[J]. Chemistry Letters, 2013, 42(3): 295-297.
[7] LI Z R, WU J X, WANG Y D, et al.A Facile Approach to Obtain Super-Hydrophobicity for Cotton Fiber Fabrics[J]. RSC Advances, 2023, 13(14): 9237-9241.
[8] LI L, SU Q, XIAO W, et al.Layer-by-Layer Assembly Enables Electrically Conductive, Hydrophobic and Flame-Retardant Fabric Composites for Multifunctional Sensing and Fire Warning[J]. Composites Part B: Engineering, 2025, 296: 112235.
[9] LI K X, ZHOU A, LIU T J, et al.Long-Term Performance and Deterioration Mechanism of Novel Hydrophobic Coated Fiber Reinforced Composite in Marine Environment[J]. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2025, 190: 108716.
[10] TANG Z X, XU B J, MAN X K, et al.Bioinspired Superhydrophobic Fibrous Materials[J]. Small Methods, 2024, 8(4): 2300270.
[11] RODRÍGUEZ-FABIÀ S, TORSTENSEN J, JOHANSSON L, et al. Hydrophobization of Lignocellulosic Materials Part II: Chemical Modification[J]. Cellulose, 2022, 29(17): 8957-8995.
[12] MA S S, XU M J, ZHAO Z Z, et al.Preparation of 3D Superhydrophobic Porous G-C3N4 Nanosheets@carbonized Kapok Fiber Composites for Oil/Water Separation and Treating Organic Pollutants[J]. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2022, 648: 129298.
[13] ZHENG J J, ZHANG H, CAO T Y, et al.Hexadecylamine Modified Copper Nanowire Coated Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabric for Antifouling, Oil-Water Separation, and Infrared Reflection Applications[J]. Fibers and Polymers, 2022, 23(10): 2740-2747.
[14] WU Z J, WANG Z G, LI J J, et al.Cotton Fiber Coated with a Novel Lysozyme-Polymer Brush Conjugates for Efficient Oil-Water Separation[J]. Materials Today Communications, 2024, 40: 109837.
[15] WEN T, LIN J H, JIANG Z M, et al.Modifier-Free Sol-Gel Preparation of Cotton fiber@SiO2 Superhydrophobic Fabric for Oil/Water Separation[J]. Microchemical Journal, 2024, 202: 110808.
[16] LIU J H, YUAN Y K, PENG S L, et al.Smart Anti-Fouling and Self-Repairing Polymer Brushes for Efficient Oil-Water Separation[J]. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2024, 141(45): e56211.
[17] RUDRA S, DHARA M, CHAKRABORTY M, et al.Fluorinated Polymer Brush-Grafted Silica Nanoparticles: Robust and Durable Self-Cleaning Coating Materials[J]. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2023, 5(9): 7443-7457.
[18] CASSIDY S S, PAGE K, DE LEON REYES C I, et al. Modification of Commercial Polymer Coatings for Superhydrophobic Applications[J]. ACS Omega, 2024, 9(6): 7154-7162.
[19] PRIMC G, VESEL A, ZAPLOTNIK R, et al.Recent Progress in Cellulose Hydrophobization by Gaseous Plasma Treatments[J]. Polymers, 2024, 16(6):789
[20] KATOUAH H, EL-METWALY N M. Plasma Treatment Toward Electrically Conductive and Superhydrophobic Cotton Fibers by in Situ Preparation of Polypyrrole and Silver Nanoparticles[J]. Reactive and Functional Polymers, 2021, 159: 104810.
[21] GUO X Y, SUN Y J, BAI L Z, et al.Copper Nanoparticles Modified Superhydrophobic Electrospun Carbon Nanofiber Membranes with Enhanced the Oil-Water Separation Performance[J]. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2024, 235(6): 340.
[22] LIN H S, ROSU C, JIANG L, et al.Nonfluorinated Superhydrophobic Chemical Coatings on Polyester Fabric Prepared with Kinetically Controlled Hydrolyzed Methyltrimethoxysilane[J]. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2019, 58(33): 15368-15378.
[23] BARANOV O V, KOMAROVA L G, GOLUBKOV S S.Hydrophobic Coatings Based on Triethoxy(Octyl)Silane[J]. Russian Chemical Bulletin, 2020, 69(6): 1165-1168.
[24] YANG Y, ZHAO X W, YE L.Facile Construction of Durable Superhydrophobic Cellulose Paper for Oil-Water Separation[J]. Cellulose, 2023, 30(5): 3255-3265.
[25] WU Z W, YU W Q, PENG Y, et al.Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic and Antibacterial Dual-Functional Cotton Fabrics for Oil-Water Separation[J]. Journal of Materials Science, 2024, 59(6): 2558-2570.
[26] VASILJEVIĆ J, GORJANC M, JERMAN I, et al.Influence of Oxygen Plasma Pre-Treatment on the Water Repellency of Cotton Fibers Coated with Perfluoroalkyl- Functionalized Polysilsesquioxane[J]. Fibers and Polymers, 2016, 17(5): 695-704.
[27] YAN H, ZHOU H, YE Q, et al.Engineering Polydimethylsiloxane with Two-Dimensional Graphene Oxide for an Extremely Durable Superhydrophobic Fabric Coating[J]. RSC Advances, 2016, 6(71): 66834-66840.
[28] ZHAO C X, XIE H X, HUANG H R, et al.Superhydrophobic/Superoleophilic Polystyrene-Based Porous Material with Superelasticity for Highly Efficient and Continuous Oil/Water Separation in Harsh Environments[J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2024, 472: 134566.
[29] NIE S H, XIE A T, RUI J P, et al.Fabrication of a Superhydrophobic cotton@LDH Composite for Effective Oil Adsorption[J]. New Journal of Chemistry, 2024, 48(38): 16828-16835.
[30] WANG J J, ZHONG D C, JI Y W, et al.Hydrophobically Modified GO Integrated PAN Nanofibrous Membranes for Separation of Water-in-Oil Emulsions[J]. Materials Letters, 2024, 375: 137226.
[31] DONG Z H, QU N, JIANG Q S, et al.Preparation of Polystyrene and Silane-Modified Nano-Silica Superhydrophobic and Superoleophilic Three-Dimensional Composite Fiber Membranes for Efficient Oil Absorption and Oil-Water Separation[J]. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2024, 12(3): 112690.
Funding
(2025) R&D, Promotion and Application of Special Industrial Lubricants (1010-601001000102); Tianshan Academic Elite Leading Talents Program (TSYCLJ2023011); Autonomous Region Key Research and Development Project (2022B01047-1)
PDF(3078 KB)
