Super-hydrophobic acrylic fabric and preparation method thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric and its preparation method. The fabric can be prepared by the following method: first, extracting a low surface energy material from lotus leaves; then, subjecting the acrylic fabric to plasma irradiation treatment; finally, depositing the low surface energy material onto the surface of the acrylic fabric to obtain the superhydrophobic acrylic fabric. The surface of the superhydrophobic acrylic fabric prepared by this invention contains silicon, a low surface energy material. The apparent contact angle of water droplets on the acrylic fabric ranges from 152° to 155°, exhibiting excellent superhydrophobicity. After 10 washes, the hydrophobic properties of the acrylic fabric do not significantly weaken.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of fabric preparation technology, specifically relating to a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] Functional fabrics refer to fabrics whose properties are altered by adding functional materials and various agents and processes during production and processing, giving them special functions and superior performance that are not possessed or achieved by ordinary textile fabrics. Common functional fabrics, in addition to their basic functions, also possess features such as superhydrophobicity, antibacterial properties, mildew resistance, flame retardancy, and wrinkle resistance.

[0003] Acrylic fiber is an important raw material in the wool textile industry and a significant type of synthetic fiber. It can be blended with wool, polyester, viscose, and cotton to produce a variety of exquisite fabrics, as well as artificial fur and industrial products. Its main component is acrylonitrile, with small amounts of other components. Acrylic fabrics are known for their vibrant colors and superior lightfastness compared to other fiber fabrics, but their abrasion resistance is the worst among all synthetic fiber fabrics. Therefore, acrylic fabrics are suitable for outdoor clothing, swimwear, and children's clothing. However, existing acrylic fabrics lack excellent superhydrophobic properties, thus failing to provide users with good self-cleaning and corrosion protection.

[0004] Literature review indicates limited research on the superhydrophobic properties of acrylic fabrics, but other properties have received widespread attention. For example, Chinese invention patent application number 201810551506.X discloses a highly absorbent acrylic fabric and its preparation method: the acrylic fabric is treated with microbial modifiers such as Pseudomonas, Nocardia, and Fusarium, followed by water-absorbing modification with the hydrophilic substance silk fibroin peptide to obtain the highly absorbent acrylic fabric. Chinese invention patent application number 201510061836.7 discloses a method for preparing antistatic acrylic fabric: the acrylic knitted fabric is washed and spun dry with a detergent; the knitted fabric is then immersed in an antistatic finishing agent, heated, and kept at that temperature for a certain time; the fabric is then removed and subjected to padding, drying, baking, washing, and drying using a rolling mill. However, the acrylic fabrics with specific properties prepared by these methods still have shortcomings. For instance, existing acrylic fabrics have poor waterproof performance, leading to discomfort when the fabric is damp and in close contact with the body, failing to meet user needs. Therefore, based on summarizing existing technologies, developing and improving the process for preparing superhydrophobic acrylic fabrics, and thus developing acrylic fabrics with superior superhydrophobic properties, is one of the goals that fabric developers have been working tirelessly towards. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric and its preparation method.

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric, which has the characteristics of superhydrophobicity, antibacterial properties, and environmental friendliness. The fabric can be prepared by the following method: First, extracting low surface energy substances from lotus leaves; then, subjecting the acrylic fabric to plasma irradiation treatment; finally, vapor-depositing the low surface energy substances onto the surface of the acrylic fabric to obtain the superhydrophobic acrylic fabric.

[0007] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] A method for preparing a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric includes the following steps:

[0009] (1) Extraction of low surface energy substances: Select lotus leaves, wash them and crush them, extract them with supercritical CO2, use ethanol as an entrainer to obtain an extract, the extract is an ethanol solution containing low surface energy substances on the surface of lotus leaves; the extract is subjected to vacuum distillation to remove the solvent and obtain low surface energy substances.

[0010] Preferably, the extraction pressure is 10-20 MPa, the extraction temperature is 50-60℃, the extraction time is 1-3 h, and the CO2 flow rate is 20-30 L / h.

[0011] (2) Pretreatment of acrylic fabric: The acrylic fabric is placed at a distance of 50-70cm from the plasma gun nozzle for Ar plasma irradiation treatment.

[0012] Preferably, the processing conditions are: irradiation power of 50-100W and irradiation time of 5-10min.

[0013] (3) Hydrophobic finishing: In a closed system, the extract prepared in step (1) is placed in a crucible and heated to vaporize it. The vaporized steam is deposited onto the acrylic fabric treated in step (2) to obtain a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric.

[0014] Preferably, the vaporization time is 15 to 25 minutes.

[0015] This invention has the following significant features:

[0016] (1) The inventors of this application unexpectedly discovered that after lotus leaf extract is extracted, it can be vapor-deposited onto the surface of acrylic fabric using vapor deposition technology, which significantly reduces the surface energy of the acrylic fabric surface; further, it was discovered that the treated acrylic fabric still exhibits obvious hydrophobicity after multiple washes.

[0017] (2) The inventors of this application unexpectedly discovered that Ar is an inert gas. After Ar plasma treatment, the surface of the acrylic fabric will be etched, the specific surface area of ​​the fiber will increase, and the surface roughness will be significantly enhanced, which is beneficial to the improvement of its hydrophobicity.

[0018] (3) The surface of the superhydrophobic acrylic fabric prepared by the present invention contains silicon, a low surface energy material. The apparent contact angle of water droplets on the acrylic fabric is between 152° and 155°, which shows excellent superhydrophobicity. After 10 washes, the hydrophobic properties of the acrylic fabric are not significantly weakened.

[0019] (4) The superhydrophobic acrylic fabric prepared by the present invention was not significantly weakened after 10 washes, which shows that low surface energy substances can firmly adhere to the surface of acrylic fabric.

[0020] (5) The superhydrophobic acrylic fabric prepared by this invention has a wide range of raw material sources, a simple preparation process, and a good market promotion prospect. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and comparative examples.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] In this embodiment, a method for preparing a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric includes the following steps:

[0024] (1) Extraction of low surface energy substances: Select lotus leaves, wash them and crush them, and extract them with supercritical CO2. Use ethanol as an entrainer, extract pressure of 15 MPa, extraction temperature of 55℃, extraction time of 2 h, and CO2 flow rate of 25 L / h to obtain an extract. The extract is an ethanol solution containing low surface energy substances on the surface of lotus leaves. The extract is then subjected to vacuum distillation to remove the solvent and obtain low surface energy substances.

[0025] (2) Pretreatment of acrylic fabric: The acrylic fabric was placed at a distance of 60cm from the plasma gun nozzle for Ar plasma irradiation treatment with an irradiation power of 75W and an irradiation time of 7.5min.

[0026] (3) Hydrophobic finishing: In a closed system, the extract prepared in step (1) is placed in a crucible and heated to vaporize it. The vaporization time is 20 min. The vaporized steam is deposited on the acrylic fabric treated in step (2) to obtain superhydrophobic acrylic fabric.

[0027] Example 2

[0028] In this embodiment, a method for preparing a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric includes the following steps:

[0029] (1) Extraction of low surface energy substances: Select lotus leaves, wash them and crush them, and extract them with supercritical CO2. Use ethanol as an entrainer, extract pressure of 10 MPa, extraction temperature of 50℃, extraction time of 1 h, and CO2 flow rate of 20 L / h to obtain an extract. The extract is an ethanol solution containing low surface energy substances on the surface of lotus leaves. Distill the extract under reduced pressure to remove the solvent and obtain low surface energy substances.

[0030] (2) Pretreatment of acrylic fabric: The acrylic fabric was placed 50cm away from the plasma gun nozzle for Ar plasma irradiation treatment with an irradiation power of 50W and an irradiation time of 5min.

[0031] (3) Hydrophobic finishing: In a closed system, the extract prepared in step (1) is placed in a crucible and heated to vaporize it. The vaporization time is 15 min. The vaporized steam is deposited on the acrylic fabric treated in step (2) to obtain a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric.

[0032] Example 3

[0033] In this embodiment, a method for preparing a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric includes the following steps:

[0034] (1) Extraction of low surface energy substances: Select lotus leaves, wash them and crush them, and extract them using supercritical CO2 with ethanol as the entrainer. The extraction pressure is 20 MPa, the extraction temperature is 60℃, the extraction time is 3 h, and the CO2 flow rate is 30 L / h to obtain an extract. The extract is an ethanol solution containing low surface energy substances on the surface of lotus leaves. The extract is then subjected to vacuum distillation to remove the solvent and obtain low surface energy substances.

[0035] (2) Pretreatment of acrylic fabric: The acrylic fabric was placed at a distance of 70cm from the plasma gun nozzle for Ar plasma irradiation treatment. The irradiation power was 100W and the irradiation time was 10min.

[0036] (3) Hydrophobic finishing: In a closed system, the extract prepared in step (1) is placed in a crucible and heated to vaporize it. The vaporization time is 25 min. The vaporized steam is deposited on the acrylic fabric treated in step (2) to obtain a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric.

[0037] Comparative Example A

[0038] Compared with Example 1, in this comparative example, ethanol is not used as an entrainer, that is: in step (1), "ethanol as an entrainer" is changed to "ethyl acetate as an entrainer", and other preparation methods are carried out according to the preparation method of Example 1.

[0039] Comparative Example B

[0040] Compared with Example 1, in this comparative example, the acrylic fabric is not subjected to plasma irradiation treatment, that is, step (2) is not implemented, and other preparation methods are implemented according to the preparation method of Example 1.

[0041] Comparative Example C

[0042] Compared with Example 1, in this comparative example, the vaporization time is shortened, that is, the "vaporization time is 20 min" in step (3) is changed to "vaporization time is 2 min", and other preparation methods are implemented according to the preparation method of Example 1.

[0043] Superhydrophobic performance test:

[0044] To better test the superhydrophobicity of the acrylic fabric prepared in this invention, superhydrophobic acrylic fabrics a, b, c, d, e, and f prepared in the specific embodiments 1-3 and comparative examples A-C of this invention, as well as a purchased superhydrophobic acrylic fabric (purchased from Shanghai Weiren Wool Textile Co., Ltd.), were selected. The apparent contact angle of water droplets on the surface of the superhydrophobic acrylic fabric was measured using an XG-CAMA1 basic contact angle tester. At least 30 samples were tested, and the average value was taken. The fabrics were subjected to standard washing according to the washing method of GB / T20944.1-2007 (Test for Color Fastness to Wash). The superhydrophobicity of the initial samples and the samples after 10 washes was tested. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0045] Table 1. Apparent contact angles of water droplets on acrylic fabrics a, b, c, d, e, f prepared in Examples 1-3 and Comparative Examples A-C, and on a purchased superhydrophobic acrylic fabric.

[0046]

[0047] As shown in Table 1, when the acrylic fabric is unwashed, the apparent contact angle of water droplets on the acrylic fabrics a, b, and c prepared in Examples 1-3 ranges from 152° to 155°, slightly lower than the apparent contact angle of the purchased superhydrophobic acrylic fabric. After 10 washes, the hydrophobic properties of fabrics a, b, and c did not significantly decrease. Therefore, it can be concluded that the acrylic fabric prepared in this invention has superhydrophobicity. The superhydrophobic acrylic fabrics d, e, and f prepared in Comparative Example AC have significantly poor superhydrophobicity, indicating that the selection of the entrainer, the plasma irradiation treatment of the acrylic fabric, and the vaporization time all have a significant impact on the superhydrophobic properties of the acrylic fabric.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric, characterized in that, The preparation method includes the following steps: (1) Extraction of low surface energy substances: Select lotus leaves, wash them and crush them, extract them with supercritical CO2, use ethanol as an entrainer to obtain an extract, the extract is an ethanol solution containing low surface energy substances on the surface of lotus leaves; the extract is subjected to vacuum distillation to remove the solvent and obtain low surface energy substances. (2) Pretreatment of acrylic fabric: The acrylic fabric is placed at a distance of 50-70cm from the plasma gun nozzle for Ar plasma irradiation treatment; (3) Hydrophobic finishing: In a closed system, the extract prepared in step (1) is placed in a crucible and heated to vaporize it. The vaporized steam is deposited onto the acrylic fabric treated in step (2) to obtain a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric. The vaporization time in step (3) is 15 to 25 minutes.

2. The method for preparing a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extraction pressure in step (1) is 10-20 MPa, the extraction temperature is 50-60℃, the extraction time is 1-3 h, and the CO2 flow rate is 20-30 L / h.

3. The method for preparing a superhydrophobic acrylic fabric according to claim 1, characterized in that, The treatment conditions described in step (2) are an irradiation power of 50-100W and an irradiation time of 5-10 min.

4. A superhydrophobic acrylic fabric, characterized in that, It is prepared by the method described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images