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

Preparation and Surface Properties Study of Novel Fluorine-Containing Methacrylate Polymers for Coating

A new structural fluorine-containing methacrylate monomer CH₂=C(CH₃)COOC–(CF₃)₂CF₂CF₂CF₃ (5) was synthesized derived from perfluoro-2-methyl-2-pentene (D₂). A homopolymer of 5 and copolymers of 5 and methacrylate with different alkyl chain length (chain length n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 18) were obtained. These new fluorinated acrylate polymers showed excellent water and oil repellency. The contact angle of the films of the homopolymer and part of the copolymers were similar with the corresponding polymers prepared from CH₂=CHC(O)OCH(C₃F₇)(CF(CF₃)₂), but greater than that of the C₆F₁₃(CF₃)CHOC(O)CH=CH₂ homopolymer. The structure-property relationship research indicated that the copolymers’ hydrophobicity decreased first and then increased with the increase of alkyl chain length. T_d of all the polymers were greater than 220 °C and T_g fluctuated within the range of −51~103.8 °C. Contact angle and T_g could be adjusted by controlling the feed ratio of monomer to meet the requirements of technical indicators in the practical applications. The outstanding liquid repellency and thermal stability make monomer 5 a promising alternative to perfluorinated long-chain fluorosurfactants.

Sustainable and long-time 'rejuvenation' of biomimetic water-repellent silica coating on polyester fabrics induced by rough mechanical abrasion

The economical use of water-repellent coatings on polymeric materials in commercial and industrial applications is limited by their mechanical wear robustness and long-term durability. In this study, we demonstrate that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric modified with inorganic, methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS)-based coatings shows excellent resistance against various types of wear damage, thereby mimicking superhydrophobic biological materials. These features were facilitated by the rational design of coating processing that also enabled tunable hierarchical surface structure. A series of custom and standard testing protocols revealed that coating-to-substrate adhesion was remarkably high, as was the resistance to various mechanical abradents. The most intriguing characteristic observed during aging and abrasion cycles was the enhancement in non-wettability or 'rejuvenation' reflected by water droplet roll-off behavior, a characteristic of self-cleaning materials. Water-repellent properties of coated polyester were also enhanced by prolonged thermal annealing and were maintained after custom laundry. The developed technology offers opportunities to design low cost, durable and functional textiles for both indoor and outdoor applications.

Facing the rain after the phase out: Performance evaluation of alternative fluorinated and non-fluorinated durable water repellents for outdoor fabrics

Fluorinated durable water repellent (DWR) agents are used to obtain water and stain repellent textiles. Due to the on-going phase-out of DWRs based on side-chain fluorinated polymers (SFP) with "long" perfluoroalkyl chains, the textile industry lacks suitable alternatives with comparable material characteristics. The constant development and optimization of SFPs for textile applications initiated more than half a century ago has resulted in a robust and very efficient DWR-technology and textiles with exceptional hydro- and oleo-phobic properties. The industry is now in the predicament that the long-chain SFPs with the best technical performance have undesirable toxicological and environmental behaviour. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the technical performance of presently available fluorinated and non-fluorinated DWRs as part of a chemical alternatives assessment (CAA). The results are based on a study with synthetic outdoor fabrics treated with alternative DWRs and tested for repellency using industrial standard and complementary methods. Using this approach, the complex structure-property relationships of DWR-polymers could be explained on a molecular level. Both short-chain SFPs and non-fluorinated DWRs showed excellent water repellency and durability in some cases while short-chain SFPs were the more robust of the alternatives to long-chain SFPs. A strong decline in oil repellency and durability with perfluoroalkyl chain length was shown for SFP DWRs. Non-fluorinated alternatives were unable to repel oil, which might limit their potential for substitution in textile application that require repellency towards non-polar liquids.

Properties, performance and associated hazards of state-of-the-art durable water repellent (DWR) chemistry for textile finishing

Following the phase-out of long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), the textile industry had to find alternatives for side-chain fluorinated polymer based durable water repellent (DWR) chemistries that incorporated long perfluoroalkyl side chains. This phase-out and subsequent substitution with alternatives has resulted in a market where both fluorinated and non-fluorinated DWRs are available. These DWR alternatives can be divided into four broad groups that reflect their basic chemistry: side-chain fluorinated polymers, silicones, hydrocarbons and other chemistries (includes dendrimer and inorganic nanoparticle chemistries). In this critical review, the alternative DWRs are assessed with regards to their structural properties and connected performance, loss and degradation processes resulting in diffuse environmental emissions, and hazard profiles for selected emitted substances. Our review shows that there are large differences in performance between the alternative DWRs, most importantly the lack of oil repellence of non-fluorinated alternatives. It also shows that for all alternatives, impurities and/or degradation products of the DWR chemistries are diffusively emitted to the environment. Our hazard ranking suggests that hydrocarbon based DWR is the most environmentally benign, followed by silicone and side-chain fluorinated polymer-based DWR chemistries. Industrial commitments to reduce the levels of impurities in silicone based and side-chain fluorinated polymer based DWR formulations will lower the actual risks. There is a lack of information on the hazards associated with DWRs, in particular for the dendrimer and inorganic nanoparticle chemistries, and these data gaps must be filled. Until environmentally safe alternatives, which provide the required performance, are available our recommendation is to choose DWR chemistry on a case-by-case basis, always weighing the benefits connected to increased performance against the risks to the environment and human health.

Hyperbranched polymers: advances from synthesis to applications

This review summarizes the advances in hyperbranched polymers from the viewpoint of structure, click synthesis and functionalization towards their applications in the last decade.

Superhydrophobic and oleophobic surface from fluoropolymer-SiO2 hybrid nanocomposites

The fluoropolymer-SiO2 hybrid nanocomposite consisting of core-corona fluoropolymer-grafted SiO2 nanoparticle (NP) and poly(dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate) (PDFHM) was obtained by radical solution polymerization of the vinyl trimethoxy silane (VTMS)-treated SiO2 NP with DFHM in this work. In H2O/tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution, PDFHM self-assembles into dendritic micelle and the increase in H2O volume is favorable for fluoropolymer-grafted SiO2 NPs to create dense fluoropolymer corona layer. It also shows that the addition of H2O to the THF suspension of fluoropolymer-SiO2 nanocomposite could cause a transfer for surface morphology of cast film from smooth film-covered aggregation to bare-exposed flaky aggregation and microsphere aggregation, which results in an increase in surface RMS roughness of cast film and induces a superhydrophobicity. Oleophobicity of cast film can be improved by thermal annealing, because strong surface self-segregation of PDFHM chains during thermal annealing process arouses a marked increase in surface fluorine content.