Hydrophobic and mechanical strength enhancement of hemp fabric and paper enabled by waterborne polyurethane-derived functional coating

Cellulosic-based materials such as hemp fabric and paper have combined characteristics of renewability, biodegradability, flexibility, and recyclability. However, regular products are not suitable for use in unconventional applications due to inherent limitations, and accordingly, enabling new capabilities is a necessity. To this end, the conversion of regular hemp fabric and paper into high-strength product with hydrophobic function via surface engineering was explored. The fluorinated waterborne polyurethane (FWPU) emulsions were first synthesized as functional coatings by in-situ polymerization. The structure and properties of the FWPU emulsion and film were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM TG, XPS. The results showed that the grafting of perfluorooctanol imparts WPU film excellent hydrophobicity, the water contact angle increases from 71.2º to 105.95º. After the FWPU coating, the water contact angle of the hemp fabric and paper increases from 0º to 117.10º and 112.77°, respectively. Quite encouragingly, the coating generation of waterborne polyurethane-derived functional additives led to the increase of mechanical strength by more than x and x times, in the case of qualitative filter paper and hemp fabric. Overall, this functionalized waterborne polyurethane coating would direct paper and hemp fabric toward diversified applications.