Recently, it is urgent for PET films to demonstrate both superhydrophilicity and superoleophilicity to meet evolving industrial demands in applications such as precision printing and biomedical interfaces. This work developed a superamphiphilic PET surface through synergistic integration of oleophilic/hydrophilic units and micro/nano-structures, utilizing a highly efficient UV-curable technology. Epoxy resin (EP) and hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) were utilised as the crosslinking matrix, with carboxylated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as functional fillers for micro/nano-structures formation. The modified PET films exhibited complete wetting behavior, showing 0° contact angles for both water and diiodomethane, along with a 66.8 % increase in surface energy (81.4 mN/m) compared to unmodified films. The E1H2C3 coating maintained 3B-grade adhesion without compromising tensile strength. Futhermore, the highly conductive CNTs significantly enhanced the film's antistatic properties, ultimately reducing resistivity by 11 orders of magnitude versus pristine samples.
In this study, superamphiphilic fabrics with under-oil superhydrophilic property have been prepared using trimesoyl chloride (TMC), tetrakis(hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride (THPC), and urea as coating materials. Owing to the unique under-oil superhydrophilicity, the coated fabric is able to absorb water droplets dispersed in oil, and oil stains on the coated fabric (dry) can be easily cleaned off just by rinsing with water (without the use of detergent), showing strong anti-oil-fouling ability. The coating is durable enough to withstand at least 50 cycles of home laundering, 1000 cycles of Martindale abrasions, as well as acid/base etching for 12 h without losing its under-oil superhydrophilic property. Meanwhile, the coated fabric exhibits excellent flame-retardant properties, with an oxygen limiting index (LOI) of 39.5% and a char length of 8.5 cm in vertical flame test. This multi-functional coating may find wide applications in functional textiles, water recovery, and flame-retardant field.