Fluoroalkylation of poly(cyclopentadienyl)siloxane and the surface properties of poly(fluorocyclopentenyl)siloxane films

In this work, poly(fluorocyclopentenyl)siloxane (FPCS) was obtained via a single electron transfer addition reaction of poly(cyclopentadienyl)siloxane (PCS) and perfluoroalkyl iodides, and reduction reaction of the intermediates. PCS was prepared by substitution and hydrolysis reactions using methyltrichlorosilane and sodium cyclopentadienide (NaCp) as raw materials. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹H NMR, and ¹⁹F NMR indicated the structures of the target polymers. The XPS results showed that the thin films prepared by dip-coating were fluorine enriched at the surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) image showed that on the rough surface of films, there were many pinnacles which were generated through the migration of side chain fluoroalkyl groups. The relative static contact angles of water and n-hexadecane on FPCS and PCS indicated that sodium dithionite initiated the reaction of perfluoroalkyl iodides and PCS so that FPCS was successfully synthesized. The measured surface energy of PCS was 2.57 × 10^?2 N/m; while FPCS was 2.14 × 10^?2 N/m, which represented better liquid repellent property compared to PCS.