Breaking free from PFAS : biocompatible, durable and high-performance octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)-modified starch/chitosan coating with ZnO for textile applications

Verbič, Anja (author), Stres, Blaž (author), Jerman, Ivan (author), Golja, Barbara (author), Žagar, Ema (author), Martinović, Vuk (author), Logar, Petja (author), Lavrič, Gregor (author), Prašnikar, Anže (author), Likozar, Blaž (author), Novak, Uroš (author), Oberlintner, Ana (author)

The development of textile coatings as alternatives to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a high priority due to global regulatory efforts aiming to phase out PFAS, driven by alarming environmental contamination and significant human health concerns. To address the urgent need for replacements, this research develops a health-friendly hydrophobic coating for two of the most common textile substrates, cotton and polyester. The developed coating, consisting of chitosan matrix and octenyl succinic anhydride-modified starch in synergy with ZnO, achieved water contact angles up to 132°. A successful transition to industrial application provided a translucent and homogeneous hydrophobic protection, without noticeably affecting the material's physical properties. Maintained or improved mechanical properties, supported by FTIR analysis, indicate a benign coating process that provides fiber reinforcement. Durability is demonstrated through multiple washing cycles without decrease in hydrophobicity, and high abrasion resistance (min. 20,000 cycles), winning against its commercial fluorinated counterpart. The water-repellent properties show stability over a longer period of time (min. 230 days). The biodegradability study confirmed the environmental compatibility as the biopolymer coating decomposed in 8 days. Finally, multivariate statistical analysis determined an optimal coating process to ensure effective integration of the newly developed sustainable coating into textile manufacturing processes.

• Language: English
• Keywords: chitosan, octenyl succinic anhydride, modified starch, biopolymer, hydrophobic coating, functional textile
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 365, art. 123792
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181983
• UDC: 677
• ISSN on article: 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.123792
• COBISS.SI-ID: 238731523
• Publication date in RUL: 21.04.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Carbohydrate polymers
• Shortened title: Carbohydr. polym.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1879-1344
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23112709

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: hitozan, oktenil sukcinski anhidrid, modificiran škrob, biopolimer, hidrofobni premaz, funkcionalni tekstil