Nanolayer atmospheric pressure plasma graft polymerization of durable repellent finishes on cotton

High-density, non-thermal, glow-discharge atmospheric-pressure plasma was used for graft polymerization of a vapor deposited fluorocarbon mixture of 1,1,2,2-tetrahydroperfluorodecyl acrylate and 1,1,2,2-tetrahydroperfluorododecyl acrylate on undyed cotton fabrics, which furnished a highly durable nanolayer water and oil repellent finish. In this study, monomer vapor was deposited onto cotton fabrics on single and double sides of the fabrics. The influence of monomer flow rate and plasma preactivation was studied. The surface of the cotton treated with fluorocarbons is evaluated using the standard AATCC Test Methods. Surface chemistry and morphology of the treated cotton were characterized using FTIR, XPS, SEM, and TOF–SIMS. Plasma-assisted graft polymerization of fluorocarbon in the presence of the crosslinker pentaerythritol triacrylate (10:1 molar ratio of monomer: crosslinker) resulted in a polyfluorocarbon nanolayer on cotton, which was hydrophobic and durable to one accelerated laundering, which is equivalent to 10 home launderings.