Under-Oil Superhydrophilic and Flame-Retardant Fabrics for Water Removal from Oil

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.