Preparation and characterization of wear-resistant superhydrophobic cotton fabrics

• The wear-resistant super-hydrophobic cotton fabric was successfully obtained. • It still had excellent superhydrophobic performance (CA=152.5 ± 1.1°) after rubbing 500 times, and good hydrophobic property (CA=144.2 ± 1.0°) after rubbing 1000 times. • The preparation processing was green and healthy. Based on the defects of superhydrophobic fabric with poor fishing, friction resistance and the complicated preparation method, the wear-resistant superhydrophobic cotton fabric was successfully obtained by in-situ deposition method. The dopamine and octadecylamine were employed to reduce the surface energy of cotton fabric based on the Schiff base reaction. The nickel sulfate was utilized to construct the rough surface structure of cotton fabric based on the properties of strong adhesion and reducibility from dopamine. Results showed that the modified cotton fabric had excellent superhydrophobic property after rubbing 500 times, which contact angle still reached 152.5 ± 1.1°. However, the air breathability and warp strength of cotton fabric decreased by 28.5% and 22.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, other performances had hardly been affected.