Hydrophobic Coating for Cellulose: Boronic Acid Activated Siloxane Polymer

Cellulose, a widely abundant building block of the organic world, is present in many cotton containing textiles and paper products. Fluorine containing hydrophobic substances or surfaces, such as the popular Gore-Tex fabric, is expensive and releases forever chemicals into the atmosphere when disposed of. As a cheaper and more environmentally safe alternative, Boronic Acid activated Siloxane Polymer is an effective way to create a hydrophobic coating for cellulose. The purpose of this project is twofold: first, to investigate the product's (BorSilOx) efficacy on various types of cotton, and second, to investigate the reaction processes as a means to obtain the final polymer product. Building off initial tests with pure cellulose paper, 4 types of cotton were tested and contact angle measurements were obtained for each. In addition, two reactions were investigated, hydrosilylation and dehydrogenation, the latter being a much more cost efficient option to obtain a similar polymer product.