Robust super hydrophobic cotton fabrics functionalized with Ag and PDMS for effective antibacterial activity and efficient oil–water separation

The development of multifunctional super hydrophobic cotton materials for oil–water separation and biological activities has attracted significant research interest. In the present study, a robust, fluorine-free, durable and recyclable modified cotton fabric was created by graft polymerization and coating techniques. The surface was grafted with poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA), subsequently aminated with diethylenetriamine (DETA), and then immobilized with Ag to obtain CF@GMA@DETA(Ag). Moreover, Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was coated on CF@GMA@DETA(Ag) for super hydrophobicity to obtain the modified cotton fabrics (CF@GMA@DETA(Ag)/PDMS). The water contact angle (WCA) reached 155° ± 1.5°. The modified cotton material had excellent oil–water separation efficiency. Meanwhile, the modified cotton material also has outstanding recyclability and stability. With Ag modification, the modified cotton material also showed impressive antibacterial properties. Furthermore, oil–water separation efficiency was generally higher than 97% in artificial seawater, which offers a possible application to separate oil and water in seawater. These properties render the as-prepared cotton fabric a promising material with potential applications.