Persistent Water Repellency of Syndiotactic Polymethylene with Perfluoroethyl Hexyloxycarbonyl Side Chains

Abstract

Polyacrylates bearing long fluoroalkyl (Rf ) side chains are known to have ultralow surface energies that are appropriate for functional coating and fabric finishing. However, these long Rf chains cause health concerns because of the risk of toxic and bioaccumulative perfluoroalcanoic acid emission via oxidative degradation. This work demonstrates that incorporating a short Rf chain of perfluoroethylene at the end of the side chains of syndiotactic poly(substituted methylene) (PM) produces hydrophobicity. A contact angle of 105°of PM remains constant for more than 50 s, whereas that of the polyacrylate (PA) with the same side chain rapidly decreases from 85°to 44°over the same period. Such persistent water repellency of the PM is ascribed to a liquid crystal structure comprised the main chains arranged in a 2D hexagonal lattice and side chains that extend perpendicularly from these main chains.

Elucidating the effects of the sidechain substitution direction on the optoelectronic properties of isomeric diketopyrrolopyrrole-based conjugated polymers for near-infrared organic phototransistors

“…[21][22][23][24][25] Currently, there are few reports focusing on the substitution directions of the side groups. [26][27][28][29] Tuning the sidechain substitution direction of the polymers may lead to intriguing properties of the conjugated polymers with useful structure-property relationships.…”

Syndiotactic Poly(Substituted Methylene)s with Alkyloxycarbonyl Side Chains: Effects of Side Chain Chirality on the Main Chain Helix and Crystallinity

“…Poly(substituted methylene)s (PMs), comprising methylene units with one hydrogen atom substituted with a side-chain via an ester linkage, have attracted significant attention owing to their structural characteristic of densely packed substituents around the main chain. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] PMs possessing various side chains and tacticity-controlled main chains have been prepared via the transition metal-initiated polymerization of diazoacetates. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Rhinitiated polymerization yields syndiotactic (st-) PMs.…”