Covalent Surface Modification of Cellulose-Based Textiles for Oil–Water Separation Applications

Abstract

A technically simple, one-step process for the preparation of hydrophobic cellulose-based fabrics via covalent surface modification is presented. A small aliphatic molecule was grafted onto the surface of various types of fabrics under mild processing conditions (room temperature, few seconds), leading to alteration of the surface properties. The modified fabrics displayed not only hydrophobic but also superoleophilic properties, meaning that these fabrics are ideal candidates for separation of oil–water mixtures. Separation efficiencies above 93% were achieved for the removal of common organic solvents and oils from aqueous solutions. In addition, separation efficiencies were unaffected by the exposure of the modified fabrics to elevated temperature and acidic conditions. Furthermore, all types of fabrics displayed high recyclability: oil–water separation efficiency did not deteriorate even after 30 separation cycles. The simplicity of the surface modification combined with the use of readily available and low-cost materials are promising characteristics for future practical applications.

Hybrid Antibacterial and Electro-Conductive Coating for Textiles Based on Cationic Conjugated Polymer

“…During the past decade, functional textiles have received industrial consideration as well as research attention. In particular, fabrics coated with tailored functional materials have been introduced in the cosmetic, pharma, electronic and medicinal fields for therapeutic, controlled release, protecting, sensing, and monitoring applications [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Among the different types of functional textiles, antibacterial ones are receiving increasing research and development interest due to health risks associated with infectious bacteria and epidemic outbreaks of viruses throughout the world.…”

Covalent surface functionalization of nonwoven fabrics with controlled hydrophobicity, water absorption, and pH regulation properties

“…Ellman's test and its required grafting steps were carried out on the UC-modified fabrics in order to quantify the degree of substitution (DS) according to a previously published procedure. 38 Modifications were made in the calculations according to the type of fabric tested. In case of CO and PP fabrics, the molecular weight for the polymer-repeating unit was used.…”

“…First, the fabrics were covalently grafted with the UC bifunctional molecule via an esterification reaction between the hydroxyl groups present on the fabrics' surface and the acyl chloride reactive group of UC as we previously described. 38 UC-modified fabrics possess reactive doublebond groups that were utilized to graft molecules via photo-initialized reactions such as thiol-ene and photochemical grafting. The esterification reaction is a technically simple process that we optimized previously: Neat fabrics were immersed for 1 min in a solution of UC, TEA, and chloroform, and were washed afterwards.…”

“…Modification of cellulose-based nonwoven fabrics with UC was performed under mild reaction conditions according to our previously published procedure. 38 In short, prior to the modification, the fabrics were dried in an oven at 65 C for 16 h. The fabrics (10 x 10 cm 2 , 1 equiv.) were then immersed in 100 ml of chloroform containing TEA (11 equiv.…”

Micro/Nanoscale Structured Superhydrophilic and Underwater Superoleophobic Hybrid-Coated Mesh for High-Efficiency Oil/Water Separation

“…The wettability of a liquid on a solid surface is mainly driven by surface chemistry, which is determined by surface geometry [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. To fabricate superoleophobic or superhydrophobic surfaces, materials with a low surface energy and micro–nano binary rough structures are required [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Thus, superoleophobic or superhydrophobic surfaces are generally fabricated by constructing a rough structure on a low-energy surface or grafting low-energy materials from a rough surface [ 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”