Nature-Inspired Intelligent Cotton Fabrics with Excellent Shape Memory and Superhydrophobic Properties

Driven by technological advancements and rising living standards, the demand for high-performance cotton textiles continues to grow. Drawing inspiration from the stimuli-responsive behavior of Mimosa pudica and the inherent superhydrophobicity of lotus leaf surfaces, this study presents the development of a new class of smart cotton fabrics integrating superhydrophobicity, shape memory functionality, and wear resistance. The engineered smart cotton fabrics incorporate Eucommia ulmoides gum (EUG) and surface-tailored sepiolite particles as core functional elements. Central to this work is an innovative surface modulation strategy leveraging shape memory effects to dynamically control material hydrophobicity through thermoresponsive structural reconfiguration. Fabricated via a scalable dip-coating technique, these composites achieve tunable wettability without fluorine-based chemicals, marking a departure from conventional approaches. The innovation of this manuscript also lies in the cotton fabric’s fluorine-free composition and its eco-friendly preparation process. These characteristics enable cotton fabrics to adjust their surface wettability based on different usage environments and needs, offering vast possibilities for creating and designing intelligent products.