Prospects of application of hydrophobic finishing for cellulose containing textile materials

Hydrophobicity is one of the widely-spread examples of textile materials finishing for the special purpose. In spite of a broad use of textile materials with hydrophobic properties, the task of universal superhydrophobic finish creation, which can preserve its positive properties during multi-cycle laundering, is still topical. The purpose of this work is to analyze hydrophobic properties of three commercially available chemicals and determine their optimal concentration for cotton/polyester fabric’s finishing. It has been determined that chemicals different concentrations almost don’t have an influence on capillarity and air permeability properties of the fabric, but the increase of chemical concentration increases water permeability values. According to experimental study it has been ascertained that the sufficient concentration of examined chemicals for bringing hydrophobic properties to the fabric is 20 g/l. In order to have full measure of chemicals effectiveness, it’s necessary to examine washing durability and contact angle of treated samples. The importance of research in the field of superhydrophobic textile materials’ surfaces is noted by many scientists in order to optimize and reduce the price of developed technologies, arrive at a solution for its practical application on basis of modern material and technical base.