Fabrication of CuO/TMSPM Coated Superhydrophobic Fabric for Self-cleaning and Oil-water Separation

Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics were prepared here with low surface energy silane components decorated with copper oxide nanoparticles that show excellent self-cleaning activity. The fabrics were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Moreover, it is reported that the CuO/TMSPM coated fabric can successfully separate a series of oil-water mixtures with high separation efficiency through a simple filtering process. Additionally, the coated fabric also revealed under oil superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning behaviour. The durability of the coating has been evaluated by washing with detergent, adhesive tape tests and stain repellency. The results of all these tests recommended that the coating was stable.