Abstract: In order to prepare the superhydrophobic cotton fabrics, alkylchlorosilanes were used to be deposited on the fabrics by chemical vapor deposition. The low surface materials polymethylsiloxane with microstructure were fabricated on cotton surface, which combined with the fabric roughness weaved by yarns of the fabric lead to the superhydrophobic and self-cleaning properties of the cotton fabric. This approach is simple, inexpensive and does not require expensive equipment. Surface morphologies of cotton fabrics were observed and the superhydrophobic, self-cleaning properties of deposited cotton fabrics were investigated. The results show that: when the volume ratio of methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) to dimethyldichlorosilane (DDS) was 5: 1, total volume of DDS and MTS was 8-10 mL, deposition time was 120 min, the contact angle of cotton fabric was 152.3°, and sliding angle was 2.7°.Self-cleaning tests showed that the deposited cotton fabrics have excellent self-cleaning properties.

Key words: cotton fabric, chemical vapor deposition, superhydrophobic, self-cleaning