Superhydrophobic cotton fabric decorated with the coatings of double hydrophobic star-shaped copolymer and PDMS for oil-water separation

Owing to the numerous hazards associated with oily wastewater, superhydrophobic materials desirable for oil-water separation have attracted considerable attention. Herein, a double hydrophobic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-polystyrene (POSS-(PS) 8 ) star-shaped copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The superhydrophobic coating for oil-water separation was prepared by PDMS anchoring POSS-(PS) 8 on the surface of cotton fabric (CF) through nonsolvent induced assembly. The influence of POSS-(PS) 8 and PDMS solution concentration on the optical properties and durability of result superhydrophobic coating were evaluated. Notably, the optimal PDMS dosage endows the superhydrophobic coating with both high optical transmittance (88.4 ± 0.3%) and high haze (87.6 ± 0.6%). Furthermore, the superhydrophobic cotton fabric (SCF) was investigated revealing it has the ability to efficiently separate various oil-water mixtures due to its superhydrophobicity, and maintain good separation efficiency even after 30 cycles. This work will provide a feasible strategy for potential application of the low cost and environmentally friendly SCF in oil-water separation.