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Improving the hydrophobicity of nylon fabric by consecutive treatment with poly(acrylic acid), tetraethylorthosilicate, and octadecylamine
Author(s) -
Du Jinmei,
Luo Xiongfang,
Fu Zhen,
Xu Changhai,
Ren Xuehong,
Gao Weidong,
Li Yong
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.42456
Subject(s) - contact angle , materials science , nylon 6 , composite material , scanning electron microscope , surface energy , acrylic acid , surface roughness , hydrostatic pressure , alkyl , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , copolymer , polymer , organic chemistry , physics , engineering , thermodynamics
Nylon fabric was consecutively treated with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), and octadecylamine (OA) to improve its hydrophobicity. We proposed that PAA could be used as a mediator between nylon and OA to provide a high density of the carboxyl moiety. TEOS was used to increase the surface roughness of the nylon fabric by hydrolysis and condensation, and OA was used to reduce the surface energy of the nylon fabric with its long alkyl chains. Both the increase in the surface roughness and the reduction in the surface energy contributed to the improvement of the hydrophobicity of the nylon fabric. The hydrophobicity of the treated nylon fabric was evaluated by the measurement of the water contact angle, water resistance to spray, and hydrostatic pressure. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the surface roughness of the nylon fabric was significantly increased by treatment with TEOS. The nylon fabric with the PAA/TEOS/OA consecutive treatment exhibited a water contact angle of 125°, a resistance to water spray of 90, and a hydrostatic pressure of 275 mm. It was interesting to find that the PAA/TEOS/OA consecutive treatment slightly enhanced the wrinkle recovery but had no apparent effects on the degree of whiteness and the breaking strength of the nylon fabric. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 42456.