Hydrophobic, fireproof, UV-blocking and antibacterial cotton fabric activated by bio-based PA/ODA/TiO2

Versatile cotton fabrics can be used in a variety of special environments and offer unparalleled advantages in textile products. In this work, bio-based phytic acid (PA), octadecylamine (ODA) and TiO 2 (NPs) were used as raw materials to prepare multifunctional cotton fabrics with excellent flame retardant (LOI = 48.5%), hydrophobic (WCA = 152°), UV-blocking (UPF = 2000) and antibacterial (BR = 100%) properties through a facile and scalable dip coating and spraying process. Firstly, the phytic acid was grafted onto the surface of cotton fabric by esterification reaction between its phosphoric acid group and the hydroxyl group of cellulose molecules. Then ODA reacted with the residual phosphoric acid group of phytic acid to form an ODA layer, for further immobilizing TiO 2 (NPs) particles on the surface of cotton fabric. The resulting cotton fabric possessed excellent flame resistance (LOI > 36.2%), hydrophobicity (WCA > 138°), UV-blocking (UPF = 2000) and antibacterial abilities (BR > 96.0%) even after 20 washing cycles. Moreover, this modification process did not sacrifice the desired cotton properties, including water vapor permeability, flexibility and tensile strength. This work proposed a simple and scalable pad-dry curing method to construct stable and multifunctional cotton textiles, which have broadened application prospects in many fields. Graphical abstract