HMDS-GPTMS Modified Titania Silica Nanocomposite: A New Material for Oil-Water Separation

A simple and feasible method is proposed for the fabrication of a super-hydrophobic coating on cotton fabric via sol-gel process. The wettability of the coating was investigated by water contact angle measurement (WCA). WCA of coated fabric reached up to 161.5 +/- 1.02 degrees. The tensile strength and Young's modulus and mechanical properties of coated fabric is quite promising than uncoated fabric. Moreover, the coated fabric can effectively separate oil-water mixtures through an ordinary filtering process with a separation efficiency of 99%. After 15 cycles of separation the contact angle changes to 155.6 +/- 0.98 degrees only and material maintained its super-hydrophobic property. The durability of the coating was evaluated by exposing the specimen at harsh environments like acidic, alkaline, saline, and ultraviolet irradiation was conducted. The tear test was evaluated using the adhesive tape test, abrasion resistance test apart from washing stability and these results suggested that the coating was sufficiently stable. The coated fabric free of fluorine and chlorine can be effectively utilized in various fields.