Water-Repellent Textile via Decorating Fibers with Amphiphilic Janus Particles

We investigated morphology and wetting properties of textiles modified by chemically immobilized amphiphilic micrometer and submicrometer large Janus particles. The Janus particles bind by their reactive side to the textile surface, while their hydrophobic side faces the environment. It was found that the character of immobilization of the Janus particles on textile depends on their size: larger particles bind between fibers, while smaller ones bind to the fiber surface. In both cases, immobilization of Janus particles results in the hydrophobization of the hydrophilic textile surface. Finally, we demonstrated that submicrometer large Janus particles are very efficient for the design of water-repellent textiles.