Hydrophobins: Eco-Friendly Chemicals and Textile Applications

Hydrophobins are spherical proteins with a few nanometers in diameter, a hydrophilic half and a hydrophobic half. They are also referred to as protein amphiphiles of filamentous fungi. In recent years, the use of hydrophobins has increased noticeably, but the textile applications are still limited. Due to its molecular structure and self-assembly mechanisms it is possible to use them on various surface treatments and suitable for textile materials with adhesion, surface modification or surfactant-like properties. Especially in textiles wet chemical processes; hydrophobins have found an area for using as a non-toxic eco-friendly material. For this purpose, studies on the usage of hydrophobins to improve the functional properties of textile materials have been investigated