Effect of sequence structure on wetting behaviors of fluorinated methacrylate polymers based on perfluorohexylethyl methacrylate and stearyl acrylate

Due to the non-crystalline properties of short chain perfluoroalkyl groups,using short chain perfluoroalkyl to stabilize low surface free energy polymers has been a challenging task.In this study,we prepare a series of random copolymers poly(perfluorohexylethyl methacrylate)-co-poly(stearyl acrylate) (P13FMA-co-PSA) and block copolymers poly(perfluorohexylethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(stearyl acrylate) (P13FMA-b-PSA),and systematically investigate the effects of the sequence structure and the content of 13FMA of the fluorinated copolymers on surface free energy and surface reorganization.Static/dynamic contact angle goniometry and water/oil repellency analyses demonstrate that the random polymer P13FMA-co-PSA could not achieve low surface free energy and low surface reorganization at the same time.In contrast,for the block copolymer P13FMA-b-PSA,both low surface free energy and low surface reorganization are acquired simultaneously.The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),dynamic contact angle goniometry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reveal the above-mentioned properties.The consecutive 13FMA segments improve the surface fluorine density,while the consecutive SA chains enhance the crystallinity of the SA segments,and further hinder the surface reorganization of the perfluoroalkyl groups.Therefore,P13FMA-b-PSA exhibits a higher utilization efficiency of fluorine atoms and a better structural stability than P13FMA-co-PSA.