ABSTRACT
Abstract A super-hydrophobic character is increasingly required for high-performance technical textiles in order to attain effective liquid repellence, self-cleaning, uni-directional liquid transport, or to create barrier coatings on fiber surfaces. Accordingly, numerous novel approaches to decrease the surface free energy of fibers have been studied in the last years, either employing wet-chemical finishes based on modern chemical developments such as silane chemistry, nanocomposite structures, or physically applied thin layers. Similar to other branches, textile researchers have also tried to mimic the extreme water repellence of several plant and animal surfaces according to the understanding by Cassie and Baxter.
