Cotton fabric surface was successfully functionalized with microwave plasma (2.45 GHz, 500W) to impart water repellency. The hydrophobic agent used was oleic acid (CH3(CH2)(7)CH=CH(CH2)(7)COOH), a fatty acid derived from various plant seed oils. Non-polymerizing gas (Argon) was used to create the plasma. The exposure of the cellulose to Ar-plasma generated radicals, which were subsequently used to initiate co-polymerization reactions with oleic acid. The FTIR spectra showed the presence of additional vibrations located at 2918, 2849, and 1707 cm(-1) in the functionalized samples. Dynamic contact angle measurements were performed to assess the hydrophobic properties of the functionalized cotton fabric. The grafted cotton fabric showed excellent water repellency. In addition, the use of plant-derived monomers and biopolymers provides a different approach to use renewable resources to create functionalized biopolymeric substrates. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.