Preparation and Properties of Superhydrophobic Suede Leather

• 1、College of Resource and Environment, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021

Abstract：Leather can easily deform or suffer bacterial attack for a long time placement in a humid environment due to the absorbency of water from the air. Therefore, fabricating superhydrophobic leather coating is of great significance in practical application. In this study, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was exploited to modify the suede leather, constructing superhydrophobic surfaces. The morphology and roughness of the suede leather was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The wetting property of the suede leather was investigated by optical contact angle. At the same time, the water vapor permeability, breaking strength were also measured. The effect of PDMS concentration, immersion time on the superhydrophobicity of suede leather was also studied. Meanwhile, the stability of the superhydorphobic suede leather was evaluated by mechanical abrasion. The results showed that the hydrophobicity of the suede leather has been significantly improved after modification. Moreover, the superhydrophobicity of modified suede leather was capable of withstanding even 8000 cycles of abrasion.

Keywords： Suede leather superhydrophobic coating PDMS