Preparation, Characterization, and Properties of Fluorinated Polyurethanes

Novel fluorinated polyurethanes (FPUs) were prepared by living radical polymerization of polyurethanes and hexafluorobutyl acrylate. The structures of the FPUs were characterized by FTIR, H-1 NMR, GPC, DSC, and XPS. The fluorinated polyurethane polymerization was investigated and showed monomer conversion, and molecular weight increased with increasing reaction time. In this way, the fluorine content in polyurethane could be easily adjusted by controlling the content of the fluorinated acrylate monomer. The mechanical evaluation shows that FPUs exhibit good mechanical properties. Morphology of FPU films was observed by scanning electron spectroscopy. The effects of the fluorine content on the surface properties and oxidative stability of FPUs were investigated. FPUs films were devoid of significant surface degradation after immersion in 20% H2O2 and 0.1 M CoCl2 at 37 degrees C for 5 weeks. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3248-3256, 2009