Effects of plasma treatments for improving extreme wettability behavior of cotton fabrics

A simple, environmentally benign and energy efficient process for fabricating single faced superhydrophilic/hydrophobic cotton fabrics by controlling surface texture and chemistry at the nano/microscale is reported here. Stable ultra-hydrophobic surfaces with advancing and receding water droplet contact angles in excess of 146A degrees as well as extreme superhydrophilic surfaces are obtained. Hydrophobic water-repellent cotton fabrics were obtained following plasma treatment through diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The influence of changing different precursor's plasma pre-treatments such as H-2, Ar or O-2 on the properties of DLC coatings is also evaluated using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and analysed in terms of contact angle measurements. Because of the DLC coating, the coated fabric showed to endure its superhydrophobic character even after 12 months.