Preparation and surface properties of fluorine-containing diblock copolymers

Two series of semifluorinated fluorocarbon diblock copolymer poly(butyl methacrylate-co-perfluoroalkyl acrylate) have been synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The H-1 NMR, F-EA, GPC and FTIR were used to characterize copolymer structure. Contact angle measurements on the thin polymer films showed low critical surface tensions and low dispersion force contributions to the surface energy, which indicated the presence of the fluorinated block at the surface. The results showed that the water- and oil-repellency increased with the fluorine content in the diblock copolymers. After annealing at different temperatures or different times, the water- and oil-repellent properties of diblock copolymer were increased to approach maximum values. This phenomenon proves the propensity of polymer for fluorine enrichment at air-polymer surface. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.