COMPLEX AMPHIPHILIC HYPERBRANCHED FLUOROPOLYMERS BY ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL SELF-CONDENSING VINYL (CO)POLYMERIZATION

Amphiphilic hyperbranched fluorohomopolymer (M(n) = 9.06 kDa, M(w)/M(n)= 1.90) and fluorocopolymer (M(n) = 17.2 kDa, M(w)/M(n)= 2.50) with tri(ethylene glycol) units incorporated at the molecular level were synthesized by atom transfer radical self-condensing vinyl homopolymerization of an inimer, 4-oxy(tri(ethylene glycol))bromoisobutyryl]-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorostyrene, and copolymerization of the inimer with 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene (1:3, inimer:monomer), using 2,2'-bipyridine together with CuCl/CuCl(2) as the ligand/catalyst/deactivator system. The structure and composition of the fluoropolymers were characterized by (1)H, (13)C, and (19)F NMR spectroscopies. As detected by thermogravimetric analyses, the homopolymer and the copolymer had thermal stability up to 175 °C and 210 °C, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed a glass transition temperature of -19 °C for the homopolymer and 20 °C for the copolymer. Solubility tests indicated that both polymers were soluble in a broad range of organic solvents, and the presence of tri(ethylene glycol) units resulted in the formation of water dispersible micelles from each of the polymers.