Stretchable and robust superhydrophobic fabrics

Abstract

Creating stretchable and robust superhydrophobic fabrics is curial for advanced dynamic protective materials, but it remains a significant challenge due to the mechanical deformation would damage surface structures required for superhydrophobicity. Here we present a strategy to devise stretchable and robust superhydrophobic fabrics (SRSHFs) that exhibit exceptional liquid repellency (e. g. water, coffee, milk, et al), low contact angle hysteresis (<7°), outstanding mechanical abrasion resistance (up to 1000 cycles after self-healing), remarkable stretchability stability (up to 7000 cycles of 50 % stretching-releasing without superhydrophobicity loss after self-healing), and rapid self-healing capabilities (restoring functionality within 5 min at 80 °C heating). Our strategy is based on a robust “artificial fluorine-free raspberry-like particles (AFRNPs) + glue + stretchable fiber substrate” coating technique, integrated with a single-fiber-film-forming process, which makes use of hierarchical microscale hydrophobic fibers with surface-deposited nanoscale rough particles to achieve superhydrophobicity while maintain these properties under significant tensile deformation. This single-fiber-film-forming coating technique enables construction of densely packed AFRNPs on individual microscale fibers of a stretchable fabric substrate. The AFRNPs, featuring hydrosilylation-reactive vinyl (C=C) groups, act as chemical anchoring sites for poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) glue, and ensure robust adhesion and structural stability, thus enables the fabrics to retain superhydrophobicity under mechanical abrasion and repeated stretching-relaxing-recovery cycles. Our SRSHFs show significant potential for broad applications, such as wearable electronic devices, fabric dressings, and liquid motion manipulation.