Octadecylamine-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals as durable superhydrophobic surface modifier for polyester coating: Towards oil/water separation

The aim of this study is the elaboration of super-hydrophobicpolyester fabrics (PET) coated organophilic cellulose nanocrystals (CNC-ODA) using dip-coating approach. The CNC-ODA was successfully synthesized from microcrystalline cellulose via a chemical oxidation method, followed by carboxylation and chemical grafting of long chain fatty amine octadecylamine via an amidation reaction. PET fabrics loaded with different CNCODA contents, ranging from 1 to 5% wt. were successfully prepared and characterized by several techniques. FTIR confirmed the formation of interfacial interaction between the PET and CNC-ODA functional groups. The contact angle measurements revealed that treated PET fabrics displayed super-hydrophobic character with a contact angle of 153.1 degrees. degrees . Tensile strength test revealed that the produced fabrics exhibited improved mechanical properties compared to pristine PET. Moreover, as a versatile application, the elaborated PET@CNC-ODA textile displayed excellent oil/water separation for different organic compounds/water mixtures. The obtained results are very motivating, in term of elaborating durable super-hydrophobic textiles.