The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) offered exceptional water repellency, self-cleaning, and anti-fouling properties, but faced strict regulations due to bioaccumulation and toxicity.  In this study, we developed a PFAS-free coating strategy based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), by constructing a slippery covalently-attached liquid surface (SCALS) on textile substrates. A reactive triethoxysilane monomer bearing a functional group and a mono-terminated PDMS with a complementary moiety were co-dissolved in an organic solvent and uniformly spray-coated onto fabric. During subsequent thermal curing, an interfacial reaction occurred between the two components, resulting in the covalent anchoring of the liquid PDMS layer onto the fiber surface. ¹H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of chemical bonds, and SEM/EDS analyses demonstrated uniform PDMS coverage on the textile surface. The resulting coated fabric exhibited a low water sliding angle and significantly reduced surface energy, highlighting the potential of this method as a fluorine-free, water-repellent, textile coating