Biomaterial based fabrication of superhydrophobic textiles – A review

Superhydrophobic materials have been the subject of extensive research over the last decade. The extreme water repellence of superhydrophobic surfaces derived from a highly rough morphology and inherently low-energy surface chemistry holds great promise for various applications. Textiles with superhydrophobic properties are a fascinating new class of flexible materials that have attracted tremendous interest in various applications due to their unique properties. As the field of superhydrophobic textiles continues to develop, one of the most pressing issues is finding alternatives to fluorochemicals and organosilane-based water-repellent chemistries due to the environmental and health risks associated with their use. This review illustrates the opportunities of utilizing bio-derived materials as potential greener alternatives to synthetic materials employed in superhydrophobic textile fabrication. We briefly highlight the role of different bio-derived materials employed in superhydrophobic textile fabrication before turning to a detailed discussion of various methods for creating bio-based superhydrophobic surfaces on textiles.