Mesoporous silica/epoxy coated cotton fabric for durable oil-water separation

Abstract

A simple, durable, superior UV-shielded, self-cleanable, hydrophobic/superoleophile cotton fabric was developed using SBA-15 mesoporous silica and epoxy coating (SE). The cotton fabric surfaces after coating with SE showed the highest water contact angle value of 146° and lowest surface free energy of 13.9 mN/m. As a filtration membrane, the developed SE/cotton delivered 95.8% oil–water separation efficiency with a notable flux value of 6800 L/m2h against diesel–water mixture. The presence of an epoxy and silica hybrid layer on the surfaces of cotton fabric induced self-cleaning behavior and notable durability against UV light (UPF-29), pH resistance, washing fastness, and mechanical abrasion. Hence, the present coating developed using mesoporous silica and epoxy can be applied to different types of textile substrates to construct durable low-cost membranes.

Synthesis of a water-based TEOS–PDMS sol–gel coating for hydrophobic cotton and polyester fabrics

“…64 Another reason is that the adhesion strength between the coating and fabric might not be as strong, resulting in reduced hydrophobicity. 65,66 Furthermore, as reported by Solomon (2017), 66 the durability of the coating during washing is also dependent on the efficacy of the cross-linking reaction within the coating solution.…”

Biogenic silver-doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for multifunctional eco-designed textile printing

“…On the contrary, polyester-printed fabrics showed no improvement. The improvement in the protective efficacy of Ag-doped SiO 2 NPs-printed fabrics against UV rays may be due to the presence of SiO 2 NPs that adhere to and coat the surface of the fabrics [21,81].…”