Photothermal Superhydrophobic Zinc Oxide Cotton Fabric Based on an Impregnation Method

Superhydrophobic materials have applications such as oil–water separation, antifouling, and antibacterial properties. At present, most of the manufacturing process of superhydrophobic coatings not only is costly but also causes pollution to the environment, which is not in line with the concept of green and sustainable development. In this work, we have prepared a superhydrophobic coating using green and environmentally friendly chitosan, nanozinc oxide, γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (KH550), and stearic acid. The prepared cotton fabric showed remarkable superhydrophobic properties. Under simulated sunlight, the surface temperature of the superhydrophobic cotton fabric can increase to 50 °C. The superhydrophobic surface sustained its superhydrophobic property after at least 80 tape peeling tests, 50 occurrences of sandpaper friction, 3.5 h of washing, and 24 h of high-temperature heat treatment. Besides, the coating can be utilized for oil–water separation and is reusable. The oil–water separation effectiveness of the coating reaches more than 95%. Therefore, this inexpensive and ecofriendly nanozinc oxide/chitosan-based superhydrophobic coating has remarkable application potential.