Sustainable polymer coating for stainproof fabrics

The excessive use of synthetic detergents in laundry operations is an important source of environmental pollution. As a result, sustainability-driven innovations are receiving increasing attention to enable eco-friendly textiles characterized by properties that allow for minimized consumption of detergents. Here we propose a coating-at-will (CAW) strategy to create an extra layer on top of a textile fabric to introduce stain resistance. The coated layer is based on conjugated polymers from lysozyme (Lyz) and zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (pSBMA), which, once exposed to the fabric, form a robust nanofilm on the surface. Remarkably, this hydrophilic layer exhibits excellent underwater superoleophobicity, and the coated fabrics can be cleaned simply with water without detergents. Optically transparent and biocompatible, this polymer nanofilm does not compromise the clothing comfort of the fabric and reduces the carbon footprint by more than 50% compared with detergents, according to a life cycle analysis. Moreover, our CAW strategy can be applied to the surfaces of various materials, including metals, glasses, plastics and ceramics, suggesting a versatile solution to the environmental risks posed by cleaning products.