Rational Construction of Superhydrophobic PDMS/PTW@cotton Fabric for Efficient UV/NIR Light Shielding

Abstract Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) material has intrigued increasing attentions with its energy saving potential and smart cloth feature. In this work, PDRC cotton fabric with superhydrophobicity, ultraviolet protection and self-cleaning competency was successful constructed through the deposition chemically-stable potassium titanate whiskers (PTW) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) onto cotton fibers. While featured with ultra-high contact angle of 151.9±0.9 °, the synthesized fabric marked an average temperature drop of ~5.1 ℃, bestowed to its high sunlight reflectivity of 83 % and infrared emissivity of nearly 90 %. On the other hand, real human tests further confirmed the practicality of the modified cotton fabric, with the recorded temperature drops ranged from 3.1~4.7 ℃ under direct sunlight. Such performance elucidated a significant improvement upon PTW/PDMS modification, which outperformed that of pristine cotton fabric. Surmising from these, the synthesized superhydrophobic fabric exhibits advantageous techno-economical index with its excellent performance and simple preparation, therefore manifesting limitless application potential, particularly in outdoor clothing and other facilities.