The purpose of this study is to develop superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fabrics to increase their water repellency and self-cleaning properties and to investigate the effects of the inherent fabric… Click to show full abstract
The purpose of this study is to develop superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fabrics to increase their water repellency and self-cleaning properties and to investigate the effects of the inherent fabric roughness on these properties. A PVDF fabric, composed entirely of electrospun PVDF filament yarns, and two PVDF/polyester (PET) fabrics with different weave densities are used. After treatment with O2 plasma for 12 min and CF4 plasma for 4 min, superhydrophobicity is achieved in all fabrics, resulting in an increase in water repellency and self-cleaning efficiency. The PVDF fabric with the lowest shedding angle exhibits the most pronounced droplet rebound behavior and the highest self-cleaning efficiency. Increases in surface inclination angle and droplet volume and a decrease in the drop fall height all contribute to conditions more favorable for water droplet repellency. The self-cleaning efficiencies of the plasma-treated PVDF fabric and high-density PVDF/PET fabric are higher for hydrophilic dust, in contrast to those of the untreated ones. The findings of this study are expected to enable the design of weaving or nano-structuring conditions that enhance the water repellency and self-cleaning properties of PVDF fabrics, for the development of stable energy-harvesting smart textiles.
               
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