Hydrophobic properties of bacterial cellulose using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and SiO2 nano colloid as a raw material candidate

Hydrophobic material intended for a biomedical application was treated from hydrophilic bacterial cellulose. The bacterial cellulose was dried by a hydraulic hot-pressed machine to prevent penetration of the respiratory droplet, then coated with hydrophobic materials to prevent droplet attachments. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and SiO2 nano colloid were used as a hydrophobic agent for the bacterial cellulose with water contact angles of 109,6° ± 3,3 and 115,2° ± 3,27 respectively. The water absorption time has been tested, bacterial cellulose with PDMS showed more than 60 minutes to hold droplet on its surface compared to bacterial cellulose with SiO2 nano colloid which only lasted up to 45 minutes.