In this study, we report on the fabrication of superhydrophobic cotton fabrics by electrostatic LbL assembly of silica nanoparticles and polycations on cotton fibers and subsequent treatment with fluoroalkylsilane. The surface morphology of the silica nanoparticle-assembled fibers can be tailored by the assembly cycles, which makes it available to study the effect of the surface morphology on the static contact angle and the contact angle hysteresis. The buoyancy of the superhydrophobic cotton fabric
was investigated by studying the loading capacity of a miniature
boat made with the fabric. In addition, we also tested the durability
of the superhydrophobicity after washing.