New perfluoropolyether soft segment containing polyurethanes

Polymer Nanostructuring by Two-Photon Absorption

“…Nevertheless, acrylic polymers present poor chemical resistance to organic solvents that hinders the realization of 3D structures to be used in applications requiring chemically resistant elements. Perfluoropolyether polyurethanes (PFPE) are well known macromolecular families that can be used to obtain hydrophobic and chemically resistant materials [17][18][19]. The synthesis and processing by 2PP of a new PFPE-based have been recently demonstrated by the partners of the project [20].…”

A New Perfluoropolyether-Based Hydrophobic and Chemically Resistant Photoresist Structured by Two-Photon Polymerization

“…Unfortunately, the poor chemical resistance of acrylic polymers to organic solvents hinders the development of 3D micrometric structures employable as microfluidic filters and mixers in applications requiring chemically resistant microfluidic elements. Among the various macromolecular families, perfluoropolyether (PFPE) polyurethanes are well known and very suitable to design and realize hydrophobic and chemically resistant materials. − In particular, PFPE-urethane methacrylates are emerging as precursors of solvent-resistant microfluidics , and optofluidic elements . The main features of PFPE polymers are a high thermal stability, a low surface energy (8–14 mN/m), a tunable elastic modulus (1–100 MPa), , and antifouling characteristics, , which make them suitable to obtain polymeric materials with high chemical resistance and extremely low wettability. , Moreover, structuring low surface tension polymers through 2PP may be useful to fabricate hydrophobic atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips, required for imaging of hydrophilic surfaces such as biomacromolecules or hydrogels, since the adhesive forces between the standard AFM tips and the surface may affect the quality of topographic imaging.…”