Synthesis of fluorinated hyperbranched polymers capable as highly hydrophobic and oleophobic coating materials

A series of coating materials were prepared from two classes of hyperbranched polymers containing short fluorocarbon chains (HPEFs/HPUFs). The obtained hyperbranched polymers were characterized by FT-IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, F-19 NMR, GPC and TG analyses. HPEFs/HPUFs exhibited very low surface free energies (13.67-24.49 mJ/m(2)) which almost are independent of their internal backbone but dependent on the terminal fluorocarbon chains. Highly hydrophobic and/or oleophobic surfaces of cotton woven fabric can be achieved from these polymers by solution-immersion coating method. The static and dynamic wettabilities of the HPEFs/HPUFs treated fabrics have been investigated. The static contact angles reached to 146 degrees, 122 degrees and 102 degrees for water, hexadecane and decane, respectively. The lowest contact angle hysteresis reached to 5.9. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.