Synthesis and properties of fluorosilicone with perfluorooctylundecyl side chains

A series of fluorosilicone (FLS) homopolymers with 4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8, 9,9,10,10,11,11,11‐heptadecafluoroundecylmethylsiloxane [? C₈F₁₇CH₂CH₂CH₂(CH₃) SiO? ; HDFUSiO] and copolymers based on dimethylsiloxane [? (CH₃)₂SiO? ] were prepared by the hydrosilylation of 4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,11,11,11‐heptadecafluoro‐1‐undecene (C₈F₁₇CH₂CH?CH₂) with poly(hydromethylsiloxane)s. Thermal characterization showed that the decomposition of fluoroalkyl side chains occurred at about 245 °C. Side‐chain crystallization was observed for FLSs with more than 30 mol % HDFUSiO. The refractive index decreased with increasing HDFUSiO content. The dielectric constant increased with increasing HDFUSiO content. The liquid surface tension of the FLS containing 10 mol % HDFUSiO was as low as that of the highly fluorinated FLSs. FLSs with HDFUSiO and trichlorosilylethyl side chains (Cl₃SiCH₂CH₂? ) were also prepared so that their solid surface tension (surface free energy) could be measured. The surface free energy of these FLSs decreased with increasing Cl₃SiCH₂CH₂? content, but the sliding angle of a water droplet and the contact‐angle hysteresis adversely increased. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2704–2714, 2003