A fluorine-free superhydrophobic cotton fabric based on nickel stearate with multifunctional properties has been fabricated by a two step simple solution process. The cotton fabric (aNS-CF) exhibits static water contact angle, ~ 160°, and water shedding angle, < 10°, due to in-situ formation of hierarchical (micro and nano) broccoli-like structures of nickel stearate. The superhydrophobic cotton fabric, having superoleophilic property, has been used for separation of a series of light/heavy oil–water mixtures, and ~ 99% separation efficiency has been achieved after 10 cycles of separation process and it has been found to be slightly reduced to ~ 98% after 50 cycles. Antifouling and self-cleaning performance of the fabric has been evaluated effectively using solid and liquid contaminants as well as some common food liquids. The coating exhibits significant mechanical and chemical robustness and laundering durability in harsh conditions. The coated fabric possesses antibacterial (gram-negative E. coli and gram-positive S. aureus) and antifungal (C. albicans) properties leading to ~ 99.99% reduction in microbial growth, which has been remarkably sustained after 50 cycles of washing, abrasion and separation of oil–water mixtures. The stable multifunctional properties of the fabric exhibits a great potential towards a huge domain of practical implementations in smart textiles.

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