No abstract

The relationship between solution properties, film-forming methods, and the solid surface structures of random copolymers composed of butyl methacrylate and dodecafluorheptyl methylacrylate (DFHMA) was investigated by contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy, and surface tension measurements. The results, based on thermodynamic considerations, demonstrated that the random copolymer chain conformation at the solution/air interface greatly affected the surface structure of the resulting film, thereby determining the surface segregation of fluorinated moieties on films obtained by various film-forming techniques. When the fluorinated monomer content of the copolymer solution was low, entropic forces dominated the interfacial structure, with the perfluoroalkyl groups unable to migrate to the solution/air interface and thus becoming buried in a random-coil chain conformation. When employing this copolymer solution for film preparation by spin-coating, the copolymer chains in solution were likely extended due to centrifugal forces, thereby weakening the entropy effect of the polymer chains. Consequently, this resulted in the segregation of the fluorinated moieties on the film surface. For the films prepared by casting, the perfluoroalkyl groups were, similar to those in solution, incapable of segregating at the film surface and were thus buried in the random-coil chains. When the copolymers contained a high content of DFHMA, the migration of perfluoroalkyl groups at the solution/air interface was controlled by enthalpic forces, and the perfluoroalkyl groups segregated at the surface of the film regardless of the film-forming technique. The aim of the present work was to obtain an enhanced understanding of the formation mechanism of the chemical structure on the surface of the polymer film, while demonstrating that film-forming methods may be used in practice to promote the segregation of fluorinated moieties on film surfaces.

A series of diblock copolymers composed of methyl methacrylate and 2-perfluorooctylethyl methacrylate (PMMA 144 -b-PFMA n ) with various PFMA block lengths were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The surface structures and properties of these polymers in the solid state and in solution were investigated using contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, surface tension and dynamic laser light scattering (DLS). It was found that with increasing PFMA block length, water and oil repellency decreased, the ratio of F/C increased with increasing film depth, and the degree of ordered packing of the perfluoroalkyl side chains at the surface decreased. When the number of PFMA block units reached 10, PMMA segments were detected at the copolymer surface, which was attributed to the PFMA block length affecting molecular aggregation structure of the copolymer in the solution and the interfacial structure at the air/liquid interface, which in turn affects surface structure formation during solution solidification. The results suggest that copolymer solution properties play an important role in structure formation on the solid surface. fluorinated block copolymer, surface structure, solution properties, air-liquid interface