Hydrophobization of polyester fabrics using tetrafluoroethylene telomers

The issue of imparting hydrophobic properties to textile woven materials is considered. It is shown that hydrophobic properties are not limited to a high contact angle of the material. The hydrophobic properties are determined, among other things, by low values of water absorption of the modified material. To achieve this result, it is necessary to obtain thin, continuous coatings exhibiting low surface energy on the surface of the textile material. The intrinsic additional roughness of the modifying coating enables the attainment of high contact angles of wetting. Fluorine-containing polymers are known to have fairly low values of surface energy, and it is this property that determines significant interest in such compounds for use as modifiers-water repellents. The aim of this study was to obtain stable hydrophobic coatings on polyester fabric using solutions of tetrafluoroethylene telomers. Coatings based on tetrafluoroethylene, namely, a number of tetrafluoroethylene telomers, on polyester fabric were studied. IR spectroscopy (MULTI-FRET), electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy have shown that tetrafluoroethylene telomers form ordered ultrathin fluoropolymer coatings on the surface of each elementary thread that forms the fabric. The features of the telomer-based coating are visualized depending on the type of telogen used. The rigidity of the resulting coatings is determined by atomic force microscopy. Based on the tests of the coatings for resistance, the features of hydrophobic coatings based on tetrafluoroethylene telomers are revealed depending on the chemical nature of telogen. A comparative analysis of the obtained hydrophobic materials is carried out.