On the surface properties of waterborne fluorinated coating polymers

Abstract

In the present work the results of a study concerning the surface properties of coating materials obtained from fluorinated latices are reported. Better understanding is required regarding the influence of polymer structure, latex composition, and morphology on the surface properties of the resulting films. For this purpose, two commercial fluorinated waterborne polymer dispersions were compared with a model fluorinated acrylic latex purposely synthesized. The surface properties of mold samples, prepared from either the whole solid matter contained in the latices (dried latex) or the purified polymer, were determined by simple contact angle measurements. Two series of homologous liquids, namely H‐bonding alcohols and apolar hydrocarbons, were employed for determining the critical surface tension γc according to the method of Zisman. The results of the surface characterization indicate that the degree of fluorination plays a minor role in these materials, suggesting that the threshold above which the polymer surface is virtually saturated by CF2 or CF3 groups might have been largely exceeded. On the other hand, the effectiveness of the hydrophobic fluorinated coating resulted substantially unaffected by the presence of amphiphilic low molecular weight additives, such as surfactants and wetting agents, which can actually contribute to the reduction of the surface energy of these materials upon suitable thermal treatment.

Synthesis and reactivity of a fluorinated N-alkylmaleimide towards free-radical grafting and polymerization reactions

“…2, prepared by simple batch emulsion polymerization, was comparatively evaluated with two other commercial fluorinated acrylic-based latexes as water-and oil-repellent finish for textiles [27,28]. As a further development of this research activity, better controlled procedures based on starved-feed semi-continuous emulsion polymerization process are being developed, aiming at the preparation of hybrid nanostructured polymer particles with selective fluorination (e.g.…”

Synthesis and Characterization of Waterborne Fluoropolymers Prepared by the One-Step Semi-Continuous Emulsion Polymerization of Chlorotrifluoroethylene, Vinyl Acetate, Butyl Acrylate, Veova 10 and Acrylic Acid

“…Fluoropolymers used in high-performance coatings [ 1 ] have received much attention because of their unique construction [ 2 ], outstanding weatherability [ 3 ], and attractive surface properties [ 4 , 5 ]. They also have extensive applications in many fields, such as in the automotive industry [ 6 ], optic cables and microelectronics [ 7 ], plastics [ 8 ], woods [ 9 ], solar energy [ 10 ], and in the protection of cultural relics [ 11 ].…”

Fluorine-containing photocurable hybrid coatings via anhydrous sol-gel method

“…These enchanced properties of the fluorine‐containing coatings are mainly related to the low polarizability of the fluorine atom and the strong CF bond. Thus, these materials have been used in many areas such as coatings, paints, high‐performance membranes, fibers, aerospace, and biomedical engineering .…”