Preparation of highly hydrophobic and lipophobic cellulose fibers by a straightforward gas–solid reaction

This work describes a very simple, rapid, and efficient approach to the hydrophobization and lipophobization of cellulose fibers through their reaction with gaseous trichloromethylsilane (TCMS). The characterization of the modified surface involved FTIR-ATR and solid-state 29Si NMR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurements with different liquids. The modification generated an inorganic coating around the fibers, associated with the construction of a three-dimensional network of Si–O–Si bridges partly bound to the polysaccharide macromolecules. This coating conferred both a high hydrophobicity and a lipophobicity to the samples even when the treatments applied modest TCMS quantities and reaction times as short as 30 s. The green connotation of this novel process constitutes an additional positive feature.

The gas–solid reaction of trichloromethylsilane with the surface of cellulose fibers is a simple and green method for generating highly hydrophobic and lipophobic features around them.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (52 K)Download as PowerPoint slide