Fabrication of hydrophobic cotton fabrics inspired by polyphenol chemistry

Highly hydrophobic cotton fabrics were fabricated via coordination assembly of tannic acid (TA) and Fe(III) followed by treatment with 1-octadecylamine. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that this novel Fe(III)/TA metalorganic system coated the cotton fabrics and affected the surface roughness, making the textiles hydrophobic. This approach is facile and low cost without substrate limitation or addition of fluorinated chemicals. Wettability tests showed that the highly hydrophobic textiles were robustly resistant to acid, alkaline, and salt corrosion and long-term laundering. In addition, the obtained highly hydrophobic surface could effectively separate oil-water mixtures by simple filtration. The simplicity and versatility of this direct approach inspired by polyphenol chemistry may facilitate fast development of functional textiles for many applications.