Plasma fluorination of organosilicon polymeric films for gas separation applications

SF₆ plasma treatment using an RF discharge was carried out for the surface fluorination of polytrimethylsilylpropyne (PTMSP) and polyvinyltrimethylsilane (PVTMS) films. Gas permeation of the fluorinated and untreated films for O₂, N₂, He, H₂, CH₄ and CO₂ gases has been measured. Plasma fluorination increases the ideal selectivities of the PTMSP films decreasing their permeances for all the gases measured, and does not affect the permeances and selectivities of the PVTMS films. The composition and chemical structure of the fluorinated polymer surface were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Within the range of the treatment parameters studied, permselectivity and surface composition of the fluorinated PTMSP films depend slightly on the treatment time and the density of the fluorine atom flux on the modified surface. The trimethylsilyl substituents are detached and carbon atoms are partially fluorinated during modification. The structure of the fluorinated layer contains crosslinks and unsaturated bonds.     

Improvements in morphological and electro‐optical properties of polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal grating using a highly fluorine‐substituted acrylate monomer

To improve the morphological and electro‐optical properties of a polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) grating, a type of highly fluorine‐substituted acrylate monomer was added to the prepolymer mixture. The morphologies of the PDLC gratings were investigated using atom force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The grating had a very clear polymer/LC interface after addition of 3.9 wt % of fluorine‐substituted monomer. The LC droplets in this case were much larger than the sample without fluorinated monomer. This phenomenon indicated that an almost complete phase separation had occurred. However, as the content of fluorine‐substituted monomer increased, the morphologies of gratings became less defined and the volumes of LC droplets were smaller. The diffraction efficiency (DE) decreased with increasing of fluoride content and the V ₉₀ increased simultaneously, which may be ascribed to the blurry interface and the small LC droplets. The highest DE (90%) and lowest V ₉₀ (70 V) were obtained simultaneously under the condition of 3.9 wt % fluoride added in the prepolymer. In addition, it was also found that the fluorine‐substituted monomer may disorder the alignment of LCs in the grating.     

Propagation Rate Coefficients for Homogeneous Phase VDF–HFP Copolymerization in Supercritical CO2

For the first time, propagation rate coefficients, k_p,COPO, for the copolymerizations of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropene have been determined. The kinetic data was determined via pulsed‐laser polymerization in conjunction with polymer analysis via size‐exclusion chromatography, the PLP‐SEC technique. The experiments were carried out in homogeneous phase with supercritical CO₂ as solvent for temperatures ranging from 45 to 90 °C. Absolute polymer molecular weights were calculated on the basis of experimentally determined Mark–Houwink constants. The Arrhenius parameters of k_p,COPO vary significantly compared with ethene, which is explained by the high electronegativity of fluorine and less intra‐ and intermolecular interactions between the partially fluorinated macroradicals.     

Synthesis of new fluorinated aromatic poly (ether ketone amide)s containing cardo structures by a heterogeneous palladium‐catalyzed carbonylative polycondensation

New fluorinated aromatic poly (ether ketone amide)s containing cardo structures were prepared by a heterogeneous palladium‐catalyzed polycondensation of fluorinated aromatic diiodides with ether ketone units, aromatic diamines containing cardo groups, and CO. Polymerizations were conducted in N,N‐dimethylacetamide at 120°C using 6 mol% of magnetic nanoparticles‐supported bidentate phosphine palladium (II) complex [Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐2P‐PdCl₂] as catalyst and 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5,4,0]‐7‐undecene as base and resulted in fluorinated cardo poly (ether ketone amide)s with inherent viscosities up to 0.75 dL/g. All the polymers were readily soluble in many organic solvents and could afford transparent, flexible, and strong films by solution casting. These polymers showed good thermal stability with the glass transition temperature of 237°C–258°C, the temperature at 5% weight loss of 462°C–477°C in nitrogen. These polymer films also exhibited good mechanical properties, excellent electrical and dielectric performance, and high optical transparency. The incorporation of bulky fluorinated groups and cardo structures into polymer backbone has played an important role in the improvement of solubility, dielectric performance, and optical properties. Importantly, the heterogeneous palladium catalyst can easily be recovered from the reaction mixture by simply applying an external magnet and recycled up to 7 times without significant loss of catalytic activity.     

Fluorination of polyhydrofluoroethylenes. II. Formation of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids on the surface region of poly(vinylidene fluoride) film by oxyfluorination,fluorination, and hydrolysis

Oxyfluorination and postfluorination behaviors of poly(vinylidene fluoride) films, as well as hydrolysis of the films treated so far, have been studied by infrared (IR) spectrometry. By exposing the polymer film to a mixture of oxygen and fluorine at about 90°C acyl fluoride groups attendant on the scission of the polymer chains were formed. The oxyfluorinated molecules could be further perfluorinated with fluorine alone at about 90°C, leaving many of the acyl fluoride groups. When the properly oxyfluorinated and postfluorinated film was further treated with a hot 6M sodium hydroxide solution the opaque layer of perfluoroalkyl sodium carboxylate of high molecular weight was formed on the surface of the film, to about 3 μm in thickness, which behaved as a cation exchanger. This new type of cation exchanger of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid was significantly more acidic than the usual methacrylic acid exchanger. It was able to adsorb the sodium ions from a neutral sodium chloride solution up to about 70% of the exchange capacity and to keep the ions stable while washing them with water, though it could be regenerated to the hydrogen form with a dilute acetic acid solution. The nature of the new ion exchanger has been examined in some detail by IR spectrometry with Li⁺, Na⁺, and Cs⁺ ions.     

Synthesis of novel fluoroalkyl end‐capped oligomers/silica gel polymer hybrids possessing antibacterial activity

New fluoroalkyl end‐capped oligomers/silica gel polymer hybrids‐low‐molecular weight biocide (hibitane) composites were prepared by the reactions of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with fluoroalkyl end‐capped N‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐3‐oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomer, N,N‐dimethylacrylamide oligomers, and acrylic acid oligomers in methanol under acidic conditions at room temperature. The presence of hibitane in the composites was clarified by the use of elementary analyses of nitrogen in fluorinated acrylic acid oligomer composite and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of these fluorinated composites. Thermal stability of fluorinated composites thus obtained were found to increase significantly compared to those of the parent fluorinated oligomers. Thermal stability of fluorinated N,N‐dimethylacrylamide oligomer, acrylic acid oligomer/silica gel polymers hybrid‐hibitane composites decreased compared to those of the corresponding fluorinated oligomers/silica gel polymer hybrids; however, the thermal stability of fluorinated N‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐3‐oxobutylacryl)amide oligomer/silica gel polymer hybrid‐hibitane composite increased significantly compared to that of the corresponding fluorinated oligomer hybrid. The sol methanol solutions of these fluorinated composites were applied to the surface modification of glass to exhibit not only a strong oleophobicity imparted by end‐capped fluoroalkyl groups in oligomers but also a good hydrophilicity on the glass surface. Fluorinated oligomers/silica gel polymer hybrids‐hibitane composites were found to exhibit high anti‐bacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, these fluorinated hibitane composites are suggested to have high potential for new attractive functional materials through not only their excellent surface active property imparted by fluorine and their thermal stability but also through their anti‐bacterial activity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluorinated covalent-organic polymers as stationary phase for analysis of organic fluorides by open-tubular capillary electrochromatography

Fluorinated porous materials, which can provide specific fluorine-fluorine interaction, hold great promise for fluoride analysis. Here, a novel fluorinated covalent-organic polymer was prepared by using 2,4,6-tris(4-aminophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine and 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorotelephtal aldehyde as the precursors and introduced as stationary phase for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography. The as-synthesized fluorinated covalent-organic polymer and the modified capillary column were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Based on strong hydrophobic interaction and fluorine–fluorine interaction provided by fluorinated covalent-organic polymer coating layer, the modified column showed powerful separation selectivity toward hydrophobic compounds, organic fluorides, and fluorinated pesticides. Additionally, the fluorinated covalent-organic polymer with good porosity and regular shape was uniformly and tightly coated on the capillary inner wall. The obtained highest column efficiency could reach up to 1.2 × 10⁵ plates⋅m⁻¹ for fluorophenol. The loading capacity of the modified column can reach 141 pmol for trifluorotoluene. Besides, the relative standard deviations of retention times for intraday run (n = 5), interday run (n = 3), and between columns (n = 3) were all less than 2.55%. Significantly, this novel fluorinated material-based stationary phase shows great application potential in fluorides analysis.     

Plasma fluorination of polyolefins

ESCA and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the surfaces of Polyethylene and polypropylene films exposed to SF₆, CF₄, and C₂F₆ plasmas. None of these gases polymerized in the plasma. However, all plasma treatments grafted fluorinated functionalities directly to the polymer surfaces. SF₆ plasmas graft fluorine atoms to a polyolefin surface. CF₄ plasmas also react by a mechanism dominated by fluorine atoms, but with some contribution from CF_x-radical reactions. Although C₂F₆ does not polymerize, the mechanism of grafting is still dominated by the reactions of CF_x radicals. For all gases studied, the lack of polymerization is attributed to competitive ablation and polymerization reactions occurring under conditions of ion bombardment.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorinated Polyimide Derived from 3,3′‐Diisopropyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl‐3′′,4′′‐difluorophenylmethane

A novel aromatic diamine monomer, 3,3′‐diisopropyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl‐3′′,4′′‐difluorophenylmethane (PAFM), was successfully synthesized by coupling of 2‐isopropylaniline and 3,4‐difluorobenzaldehyde. The aromatic diamine was adopted to synthesize a series of fluorinated polyimides by polycondensation with various dianhydrides: pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) via the conventional one‐step method. These polyimides presented excellent solubility in common organic solvents, such as N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N‐dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP), chloroform (CHCl₃), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and so on. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of fluorinated polyimides were in the range of 260–306°C and the temperature at 10% weight loss in the range of 474–502°C. Their films showed the cut‐off wavelengths of 330–361 nm and higher than 80% transparency in a wavelength range of 385–463 nm. Moreover, polymer films exhibited low dielectric properties in the range of 2.76–2.96 at 1 MHz, as well as prominent mechanical properties with tensile strengths of 66.7–97.4 MPa, a tensile modulus of 1.7–2.1 GPa and elongation at break of 7.2%–12.9%. The polymer films also showed outstanding hydrophobicity with the contact angle in the range of 91.2°–97.9°.     

Synthesis and properties of copolymers of methyl methacrylate with 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluoro and 4‐trifluoromethyl 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro styrenes: An intrachain interaction between methyl ester and fluoro aromatic moieties

2,3,4,5,6‐Pentafluoro and 4‐trifluoromethyl 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro styrenes were readily copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA) by a free radical initiator. The copolymers were soluble in tetrahydrofuran and acetone. The films obtained were transparent and flexible. The glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of the copolymers were found positively deviated from the Gordon–Taylor equation. The positive deviation could be accounted for by dipole–dipole intrachain interaction between the methyl ester group of MMA and the highly fluorinated aromatic moiety, which resulted in a decrease in the segmental mobility of the polymer chains and the enhanced T_g values of the copolymers. The water absorption of PMMA was greatly decreased by copolymerization of MMA with the highly fluorinated styrenes. With as little as 10 mol % of pentafluoro styrene content in the copolymer, the water absorption was decreased to one‐third of that for pure PMMA. The fluorinated styrenes‐MMA copolymers were thermally stable up to 420 °C under air and nitrogen atmospheres. With 50 mol % of MMA in the copolymer, the copolymer was still stable up to 350 °C. Since these copolymers contain a large number of fluorine atoms, the light absorption in the region of the visible to near infrared is decreased in comparison with nonfluorinated polymers. Thus, these copolymers may be suitable for application in optical devices, such as optical fibers and waveguides. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Responsive Gels with the Polymer Containing Alternating Naphthalene Diimide and Fluorinated Alkyl Chains: Gel Formation and Responsiveness as Well as Electrical Conductivity of Polymer Thin Films

A new electroactive polymer 1 with alternating NDI (naphthalene diimide) moieties and fluorinated alkyl chains was prepared and characterized. Gels of polymer 1 were formed in several solvents. Interestingly, gels of polymer 1 exhibited responsiveness toward N₂H₄, F^? and CN^?. Absorption and ESR spectroscopic studies revealed that such responsiveness is owing to the reduction of NDI moieties into the respective NDI^.?. In addition, thin films of polymer 1 were easily prepared with spin‐coating technique and the electrical conductivity of thin films reached 52.4 S/m after exposure to N₂H₄ vapor.     

The Effect of –(C6F4)– on the Surface Free Energy of Main‐Chain Liquid Crystalline and Crystalline Polymers

Novel fluorinated main‐chain liquid‐crystalline/crystalline polymers were prepared through thin film polymerization to investigate the effect of –(C₆F₄)– on the surface free energy. The fluorine in the phenyl rings does not lower the total surface free energy of the thin copolymer films, compared to those without fluorine. Interestingly, the Lewis acid components (γ⁺) of the surface free energy of the fluorine‐containing polymers increase with an increase in the –(C₆F₄)– content, indicating the increasing electron accepting character of the surface.     

Fluorination of polyethylene films

Fluorination of HDPE films (100 and 1800 μm thick) and LDPE films (100 μm thick) with elemental fluorine is described. The films were fluorinated at temperatures between 40°C and 100°C. The degree of fluorination was increased by increasing the concentration of fluorine in the F₂/N₂ gas mixture. A diffusion-controlled process was indicated by plotting the measured depth of fluorination against the square root of fluorination time. The chemistry of the process was studied by ESCA measurements or by energy dispersive analyses in the scanning electron microscope.     

Reaktion von Lanthanfluorid mit Halogenalkanen

Reactions of Lanthanum Fluoride with Halogenoalkanes Reactions are reported on lanthanum fluoride as a fluorinating reagent and as a catalyst for the fluorination and dismutation of halogenoalkanes. Carbon tetrachloride, monofluorotrichlormethane, and chloroform are partially fluorinated by lanthanum fluoride. In the presence of HF, lanthanum fluoride acts as catalyst the fluorine transfer to CCl₄, CHCl₃ and C₂F₃Cl₃. Monofluorotrichloromethane, difluorodichloromethane, and trifluorotrichloroethane dismutate on lanthanum fluoride. Results on the thermal decomposition of the above-mentioned fluorochloroalkanes are communicated.     

Surface and bulk properties of severely fluorinated carbon fibres

The development of ultra-inert composites using fluorinated carbon fibres as the reinforcement requires fluorinated carbon fibres with a durable surface composition. Here we report the effect of direct fluorination using an F₂/N₂ mixture at 653 K on the surface and bulk properties of two types of high strength carbon fibres. These were treated up to a surface fluorine content of ∼64 at.% and a bulk fluorine content of ∼15 mass%. A colour change was observed after fluorination caused by the changes in the graphitic band structure of the carbon fibres by the introduction of carbon sp³ hybridisation. The tensile strength and Young's modulus decrease after fluorination by up to 33 and 22%, respectively. XRD shows marginal changes in the interlayer distance but the crystallite size increases. Changes in the electrical conductivity of the fluorinated carbon fibres indicate that the modification is confined to the near surface volume. Predominantly covalent C-F bonds are formed as shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and measured zeta (ζ)-potentials. Hence the fluorinated fibres are hydrophobic and have low surface tensions. This and the large increase in fibre surface area, as determined by nitrogen adsorption, is expected to facilitate interfacial interaction between fluorinated carbon fibres and fluoropolymers.     

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, ¹H 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 °C for 5 weeks. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3248–3256, 2009     

Convenient synthesis of novel fluorinated polyurethane hybrid latexes and core-shell structures via emulsion polymerization process with self-emulsification of polyurethane

Novel fluorinated polyurethane hybrid latexes in the size range of 40–50 nm, fluoroalkyl acrylate as fluorinated monomers, with various fluorine content (F% = 9∼26 wt%) were successfully prepared via emulsion polymerization process without traditional emulsifier. The waterborne polyurethane, which was synthesized by using isophronediisocyanate, dimethylol propionic acid, polyethylene glycols, etc., served not only as copolymerizable macromonomer but also as polymeric high molecular weight emulsifier. The structures of polyurethane macromonomer and fluorinated polyurethane were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and H¹-NMR. Particle size, zeta potential, micromorphology of the latex par.ticles, and surface properties were investigated by dynamic light scattering, potential particle size analyzer, transmission electron microscopy, and contact angle measurement, respectively. Results illustrated that the advantage of this process is that the size of fluorinated polyurethane hybrid particle is less sensitive to the composition. Furthermore, it was showed that fluorinated polyurethane latex particles had core-shell structures, especially when the content of fluorine was 26.08 wt%. Moreover, there was an obvious migration of fluorinated groups to the surface during the formation of fluorinated polymer films, although fluorinated groups were covered by polyurethane in latex particles.     

A Density Functional Investigation of Fluorinated B12N12 Clusters

Density functional calculations have been carried out on a series of fluorinated B₁₂N₁₂ molecules. The fluorine atoms are more prone to absorb on the boron atoms than the nitrogen atoms in B₁₂N₁₂. The 1,3 addition is an energetically favorable adsorption site in one‐fluorine‐molecule adsorption. We found that the average bond energy of fluorine molecule is decreased with n increasing, but significantly larger than that of B₁₂N₁₂F. The energy gap of B₁₂N₁₂ is controllable by introducing fluorine molecules. Moreover, calculation of the Gibbs free energy of the B₁₂N₁₂+12F₂→B₁₂N₁₂F₂₄ reaction showed that this reaction is exothermic at low temperatures.     

Synthesis of fluorine‐containing star‐shaped poly(vinyl ether)s via arm‐linking reactions in living cationic polymerization

Various types of fluorine‐containing star‐shaped poly(vinyl ether)s were successfully synthesized by crosslinking reactions of living polymers based on living cationic polymerization. Star polymers with fluorinated arm chains were prepared by the reaction between a divinyl ether and living poly(vinyl ether)s with fluorine groups (C₄F₉, C₆F₁₃, and C₈F₁₇) at the side chain using cationogen/Et_1.5AlCl_1.5 in a fluorinated solvent (dichloropentafluoropropanes), giving star‐shaped fluorinated polymers in high yields with a relatively narrow molecular weight distribution. The concentration of living polymers for the crosslinking reaction and the molar feed ratio of a bifunctional vinyl ether to living polymers affected the yield and molecular weight of the star polymers. Star polymers with block arms were prepared by a linking reaction of living block copolymers of a fluorinated segment and a nonfluorinated segment. Heteroarm star‐shaped polymers containing two‐ or three‐arm species were synthesized using a mixture of different living polymer species for the reaction with a bifunctional vinyl ether. The obtained polymers underwent temperature‐induced solubility transitions in various organic solvents, and their concentrated solutions underwent sol–gel transitions, based on the solubility transition of a thermoresponsive fluorinated segment. Furthermore, a slight amount of fluorine groups were shown to be effective for physical gelation when those were located at the arm ends of a star polymer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis and applications of novel fluoroalkyl end‐capped cooligomers containing diphenylacetylene segments: a new approach to the surface arrangement of diphenylacetylene segments on the traditional organic polymer

Fluoroalkyl end‐capped cooligomers containing diphenylacetylene segments [R_F‐(DPMA)_x‐(Co‐M)_y‐R_F] were prepared by reaction of fluoroalkanoyl peroxide with 4‐(phenylethynyl)phenyl methacrylate (DPMA) and radical polymerizable comonomers such as N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) and acryloylmorpholine (ACMO) under very mild conditions. Fluorinated cooligomers containing diphenylacetylene segments thus obtained exhibited a good solubility in a variety of organic solvents. These fluorinated cooligomers were also applied to the surface modification of traditional organic polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to exhibit not only a good surface active property imparted by fluorine but also a fluorescent characteristic related to diphenylacetylene segments on their surface. In addition, these fluorinated cooligomers could form the nanometer size‐controlled fluorinated molecular aggregates in chloroform. Interestingly, some benzenes and biphenyl (BP) derivatives could interact with these fluorinated oligomeric aggregates as guest molecules, and in particular 2‐chloro‐5‐nitrobenzotrifluoride (CNB) was most effective for enhancing the fluorescent intensity of these guest molecules. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.