Cotton fabric surface was successfully functionalized with microwave plasma (2.45 GHz, 500W) to impart
water repellency. The hydrophobic agent used was oleic acid (CH3(CH2)7CH CH(CH2)7COOH), a fatty acid
derived from various plant seed oils. Non-polymerizing gas (Argon) was used to create the plasma. The
exposure of the cellulose to Ar-plasma generated radicals, which were subsequently used to initiate copolymerization
reactions with oleic acid. The FTIR spectra showed the presence of additional vibrations
located at 2918, 2849, and 1707 cm−1 in the functionalized samples. Dynamic contact angle measurements
were performed to assess the hydrophobic properties of the functionalized cotton fabric. The
grafted cotton fabric showed excellent water repellency. In addition, the use of plant-derived monomers
and biopolymers provides a different approach to use renewable resources to create functionalized
biopolymeric substrates.