Two-Step Approach for Fabrication of Durable Superamphiphobic Fabrics for Self-Cleaning, Antifouling, and On-Demand Oil/Water Separation

Superamphiphobic materials have attracted lots of attention due to its wide applications in many fields. However, the preparation of most superamphiphobic materials was time-consuming and complicated. In this study, a durable superamphiphobic fabric was prepared by vapor–liquid sol–gel method to deposit silica with thiol (SiO₂–SH) and thiol–ene click reaction to graft 1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl methacrylate (FMA). The superamphiphobic fabric can repel liquids with surface tension as low as 27.5 mN m^–1. Importantly, the fabric can maintain high amphiphobicity after 15 laundry cycles, 40 tape-peeling cycles, 160 g of sand abrasion, 24 h UV irradiation, as well as immersion in acid/base solution for 12 h, 95 °C water for 6 h or 2 °C water for 24 h. What’s more, the fabric shows excellent self-cleaning and antifouling properties. After the superamphiphobic fabric was prewetted by ethanol, it shows superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity and superoleophilicity/underoil superhydrophobicity, which can be used for on-demand oil/water separation with high separation efficiency and outstanding reusability.