| Abstract: | The synthesis of a number of random and alternating copolymers of a fluorosiloxane and a hybrid fluorocarbon-fluorosiloxane are described, along with property comparisons. The random copolymers were prepared by silanol–chlorosilane condensation, while the alternating copolymer preparation involved the use of the novel silanol—silyl-N-methylacetamido condensation reaction, which was used to produce a high polymer, M?n = 260,000. The physical properties of the two classes of polymers which were compared include: glass transition temperatures, reversion resistance, and thermal and oxidative weight loss. From these comparisons, it was possible to gauge the relative effects of backbone architecture, as well as monomer ratios, upon copolymer properties. Comparison of the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of both the random and alternating LS/FCS copolymer systems with the parent LS and FCS homopolymers indicates that the copolymer generally show little variation among themselves, but better thermal characteristics than either of the parents. |
