Superhydrophilic and solvent resistant coatings on polypropylene fabrics by a simple deposition process

A simple, yet general coating method to plasma treated polymeric substrates is presented. The method is based on electrostatic interactions between the surface functionalized nanoparticles and the charged substrate and leads to stable and solvent resistant multilayer coatings. The coatings render polypropylene (PP) hydrophilic and in the case of PP fabric superhydrophilic. The superhydrophilicity is attributed to the topography and increased roughness of the fabric compared to a planar, smooth substrate.