Low Surface Energy Perfluorooctyalkyl Acrylate Copolymers for Surface Modification of PET

Summary: Copolymers of ω‐perfluorooctyalkyl acrylate C8F17‐(CH2)n′OC(O)CHCH2 with butyl acrylate were prepared by free radical polymerization. These compounds were characterized by 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy. Thermal properties were evaluated by DSC and TGA analysis. By changing the fluorinated monomer structure, i.e., the length of the hydrocarbon spacer between the perfluorinated side chain and the ester function, and the concentration of the perfluorooctyalkyl acrylate monomers, the surface properties of the resulting copolymers were greatly influenced. The copolymers exhibited low surface energies, the lowest recorded being 6 mJ · m−2. XPS analysis indicated fluorine enrichment at the polymer‐air interface. Molecular structure of the synthesized copolymer. image Molecular structure of the synthesized copolymer.