Creating water-repellent and super-hydrophobic cellulose substrates by deposition of organic nanoparticles

A series of organic nanoparticles is synthesized by imidization of poly(styrene-maleic anhydride) copolymers under pure conditions or in presence of palm oil. The nanoparticles are applied as a coating onto paper substrates, offering enhanced water-repellence and hydrophobicity. The latter properties can be further tuned by thermal curing of the coatings. After depositing the nanoparticles onto tissue papers, super-hydrophobic surfaces with self-cleaning properties can be prepared. The presented materials offer an attractive alternative for surface treatments of textiles, avoiding the use of environmental unfriendly fluorderivates.