Durable and superhydrophobic cellulose-containing fabrics for self-cleaning and oil-water separation

The inherent hydrophilicity of cotton fabrics (CFs) limits their application in advanced functional textiles. Superhydrophobic surface modification has emerged as an effective strategy to impart functionalities such as self-cleaning and oil-water separation. Here, a two-step surface modification approach—combining graft condensation with free radical copolymerization—is developed to fabricate superhydrophobic CFs. The resulting fabrics exhibit a high water contact angle of 163° and a low sliding angle of 7°, indicating excellent surface hydrophobicity. The hydrophobic layer demonstrates exceptional mechanical robustness and chemical stability, maintaining a contact angle above 144° after 150 abrasion and 30 washing cycles. Furthermore, the hydrophobicity remains stable (contact angle >150°) under harsh conditions, including exposure to organic solvents, UV irradiation, elevated temperatures, and acidic/alkaline environments. The modified CFs also exhibit excellent self-cleaning performance and maintain oil-water separation efficiency exceeding 98 % after 20 cycles. These results highlight the potential of the developed modified CFs for applications in outdoor gear, anti-fouling textiles, and marine oil spill remediation.