A novel waterborne polyurethane containing short fluoroalkyl chains: Synthesis, characterization and its application on cotton fabrics surface

A novel waterborne polyurethane containing short fluoroalkyl groups (–CF3) was designed and synthesized. It was applied as a surface modification agent on cotton fabrics. The treated fabrics showed very good hydrophobicity and the contact angles for water reached 1478. In addition, it also showed good washing durability, the contact angle still reached 1308 even after 30 washing cycles, and the water uptake was 1 order of magnitude less than that of the untreated cotton fabrics.