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. 2021 Oct 14;13(20):3549.
doi: 10.3390/polym13203549.

Hydrophobic Leather Coating for Footwear Applications by a Low-Pressure Plasma Polymerisation Process

Carlos Ruzafa Silvestre  1 , María Pilar Carbonell Blasco  1 , Saray Ricote López  1 , Henoc Pérez Aguilar  1 , María Ángeles Pérez Limiñana  1 , Elena Bañón Gil  1 , Elena Orgilés Calpena  1 , Francisca Arán Ais  1
Affiliations

Hydrophobic Leather Coating for Footwear Applications by a Low-Pressure Plasma Polymerisation Process

Carlos Ruzafa Silvestre et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The aim of this work is to develop hydrophobic coatings on leather materials by plasma polymerisation with a low-pressure plasma system using an organosilicon compound, such as hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), as chemical precursor. The hydrophobic coatings obtained by this plasma process were evaluated with different experimental techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and standardised tests including colour measurements of the samples, surface coating thickness and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The results obtained indicated that the monomer had polymerised correctly and completely on the leather surface creating an ultra-thin layer based on polysiloxane. The surface modification produced a water repellent effect on the leather that does not alter the visual appearance and haptic properties. Therefore, the application of the plasma deposition process showed promising results that makes it a more sustainable alternative to conventional functional coatings, thus helping to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in the finishing process of footwear manufacturing.

Keywords: low-pressure plasma; plasma deposition; plasma polymerisation; plasma process; surface modification.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Surface activation and plasma polymerisation phases of the treatment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
FTIR spectra of untreated leather sample, plasma coated leather and HMDSO plasma polymerised onto the leather surface.
Figure 3
Figure 3
XPS-survey of untreated leather and plasma coated leather with HMDSO.
Figure 4
Figure 4
High-resolution peaks of HMDSO film deposited on leather. (a) C 1s of untreated sample; (b) C 1s of plasma coated leather; (c) Si 2p of untreated sample; (d) Si 2p of plasma coated leather.
Figure 4
Figure 4
High-resolution peaks of HMDSO film deposited on leather. (a) C 1s of untreated sample; (b) C 1s of plasma coated leather; (c) Si 2p of untreated sample; (d) Si 2p of plasma coated leather.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM images obtained before and after plasma polimerisation (440×). (a) Untreated leather; (b) Plasma coated leather.
Figure 6
Figure 6
L*, a* and b* values for both untreated and plasma treated leather.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Pictures of (a) untreated and (b) plasma coated leather samples.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Cross-section images of plasma coated leather of HMDSO at 16× (a) and magnified at 40× (b).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Evolution of wettability of untreated and plasma treated samples over time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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