A superhydrophobic bionic coating on silk fabric with flame retardancy and UV shielding ability

Inspired by the melanin and marine mussel binders, the super-adhesion polydopamine (PDA) plays a unique role in the surface modification of materials. In this work, dopamine was coated on silk fabric in a short time by rapid oxidative polymerization, and Fe²⁺ was wrapped by using the reactive groups on the surface of polydopamine (PDA) as a secondary platform. The hydrophobic, flame retardant and UV resistant properties of the treated fabric were investigated. The surface morphology, crystal form, composition and carbon residue morphology of the treated silk fabric were analyzed. The PDA coating and Fe²⁺ mineralization wrap changed the morphological structure of the silk fabric, giving the fabric superhydrophobicity, flame retardancy and UV shielding ability. In particular, the wrapped Fe²⁺ mineralization formed micro-nano particles and a rough structure on the surface of silk fibers, endowing silk fabric with superhydrophobicity. The PDA coating also increased the carbonization property of the fabric during combustion. Furthermore, the formation of metal salts by combustion of mineralized materials was helpful to prevent heat and gas sources, thus making silk fabric have good flame retardancy, showing potential applications as multifunctional advanced textiles.