Facile fabrication of polysiloxane micro/nanostructure with controllable morphology and super-hydrophobicity

In this study, hydrophobic fabrics with controllable rough surfaces were prepared by treating a polyester (PET) fabric with methyltrichlorosilane (MTS), phenyltrichlorosilane (PTS), vinyltrichlorosilane (VTS), and tridecylfluorooctyltrichlorosilane (PFOTS) using a liquid phase method. The formation mechanism of the fabrics was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy . Although the WCA of the fabrics decreased after mechanical abrasion, their hydrophobic surfaces exhibited good durability. Four controllable rough structures were observed and show its unique properties. MTS@PET showed a hollow spherical structure, and hence was found to have potential to encapsulate medicines for health care. On the other hand, PTS@PET showed a hollow bowl-like structure and strong absorbance to water. The TCS/PFOTS@PET with spherical microstructure was amphiphobic, according to that the contact angles of it to water and n -tetradecane were 153.3 ± 3.0° and 133.4 ± 4.5°, respectively. The WCA and sliding angle (SA) of VTS@PET, which showed a nanofilament structure, were 156.4 ± 3.0° and 3.0 ± 2.0°, respectively, indicating that its surface was superhydrophobic .