The hydrophobic finishes impart textile substrates with a property
that does not allow passage of water droplets but allows
passage of water vapor through these substrates. Water-repellent
treatments find application for rain coats, medical bandages, tents,
etc. [1]. Water repellency can be acheived using paraffin repellents,
stearic acid-melamine repellents, urethane repellents, silicone
water repellents and fluorocarbon-based repellents [2,3]. These
compounds are usually applied on textiles by the conventional
padding and exhaustion processes [1–3].
Nowadays, new chemicals and processes, including nanomaterials
and plasma techniques, are available for realizing
hydrophobic textile surfaces. Recent studies have been carried out
to develop new materials such as carbon nanotubes, dendrimers
and hydrophobins for the purpose of replacing the conventional
hydrophobic and oleophobic finishes [4].
Coating textiles through the sol-gel technique imparts the textile
substrate with a desired functionality whereas it maintains
the physical properties of the textile. Metal oxides such as SiO2
and TiO2 nano-particles can be applied to the surfaces of textile