Robust, flame-retardant and colorful superamphiphobic aramid fabrics for extreme conditions

High-performance superamphiphobic fabrics are very useful in special fields, such as firefighting, rescue, and polar sports. The complicated preparation process, easily damaged surface structure, and high cost drastically limit its commercial application. In this work, we utilized a simple, low-cost superamphiphobic coating to prepare a superamphiphobic aramid fabric (SAF). The excellent repellency to acid/alkali solutions and low boiling point organic solvents has been demonstrated with the contact angle of >150 degrees and >130 degrees, respectively. Additionally, the original color of fabric can also be maintained, accompanied with superior flame retardancy, strength and comfort with thermal degradation of 361 degrees C. More importantly, SAF displayed excellent durability via 50 standard machine washes, 100-min of ultrasonic washing, 10-min of UV irradiation, 120-min of high-temperature heating, 5000 cycles of abrasion, and destructive abrasion by sharp metal. All the results showed superior performance of our SAF in protective fabrics under extreme environmental conditions.

Automated summary

The study successfully prepared a high-performance superamphiphobic aramid fabric (SAF) using a simple and low-cost method. SAF showed excellent repellency to acid/alkali solutions and low boiling point organic solvents, along with superior flame retardancy, strength and comfort. The durability of SAF was also demonstrated through various tests under extreme environmental conditions.