TITLE:
Effect of the Morphology of Leather Surface on the Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Properties
AUTHORS:
Olga Serenko, Zarina Nizamova, Mikhail Kalinin, Yuri Ostrovsky, Ludmila Polukhina, Aziz Muzafarov
KEYWORDS:
Leather; Surface Modification; Water Contact Angle; Wetting; Hydrophobic Effect
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Materials Physics and Chemistry,
Vol.4 No.2,
February
13,
2014
ABSTRACT: Natural
leathers (split, velour split, nubuck) ware investigated. Solution of fluorine
silane in ethanol was applied as the hydrophobic agent. It is shown that the
microstructure of the leather surface, provided its structural elements possess hydrophilic properties, determines the
wetting regime and duration of the induction period of changeover from
heterogeneous to homogeneous wetting. The heterogeneous regime of wetting is
distinguished by low rates of spreading and absorbing. The homogeneous wetting
is characterized by high rates of spreading and absorbing of a water drop. A
necessary condition of the stable heterogeneous wetting regime and achieving hydrophobicity of leather with structurally inhomogeneous face layer is to
preserve the microstructure features of their surface at hydrophobic treatment.
The morphological peculiarities of split and ground leather ensure stable
hydrophobic properties after application of efficient hydrophobizators.