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Developing durable hydrophobic and oleophobic textiles using simple and environmentally responsible techniques remains a challenge. This study aimed to determine how the structure of organosilicon silanes—specifically the type of functional group (fluorinated alkyl, long alkyl, or benzyl group) and the presence of an ester linker formed via the thiol–Michael addition—affects the wetting behaviour of cotton fabrics. Five silanes were synthesized and applied using a mild pad–dry–cure silanization process. The modified fabrics were evaluated through water and oil contact angle (WCA, OCA) measurements, water absorption tests, droplet-stability analysis, and washing-durability assessment. All treated samples exhibited hydrophobicity, while the silane containing a C6 perfluoroalkyl chain provided both hydrophobic and oleophobic performance. This fabric showed a WCA of 152° and an OCA of 126° (hexadecane), which remained essentially unchanged after 10 washing cycles (153° and 126°, respectively). Water absorption decreased by 91%, and droplets remained stable for at least 30 min. SEM, and SEM-EDS confirmed the presence and uniform distribution of the silane coating. These results demonstrate that short-chain fluorinated silanes and long-chain alkyl silanes can form durable low-surface-energy layers on cotton using a straightforward and efficient process, offering a promising route for high-performance functional textiles.
Szymańska et al. (Tue,) studied this question.