Photo-crosslinked fluorinated thin films from azido-functionalized random copolymers

Hydrophobization of chitosan films by surface grafting with fluorinated polymer brushes

Chitosan with its surface-properties and biodegradability is a promising biomaterial for green packaging applications. Till now, this application is still limited due to chitosan high sensitivity to water. Some existing studies deal with the incorporation of hydrophobic additives to enhance water-proof performances of chitosan films. As these additives may impair the film properties, our study focuses on chitosan efficient hydrophobization by means of simple and successful surface grafting reactions. Chitosan films prepared by solvent casting were modified by means of surface-initiated activators regenerated by electron transfer atom radical polymerization (SI-ARGET-ATRP) of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) followed by esterification reaction with fluorinated acyl compound. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) highlighted the surface chemical changes after each step. Surface properties were investigated by contact angle measurements and surface energy calculations. Hydrophobic surfaces with low surface energy and good water-repellent properties were obtained using a simple handling polymerization procedure. This is the first study in applying ARGET ATRP to prepare hydrophobic biopolymer films offering potential applications in packaging.

Ferroelectric fluorinated copolymers with improved adhesion properties

Modified fluorinated electroactive poly(VDF-co-TrFE) copolymers with improved adhesion properties, on glass or metal substrates, are presented.

Poly(1,2,3-triazolium)s: a new class of functional polymer electrolytes

Poly(1,2,3-triazolium)s are tunable and highly functional ion conducting materials that stretch out the actual boundaries of PILs macromolecular design.

Methacrylate Copolymers with Liquid Crystalline Side Chains for Organic Gate Dielectric Applications

Polymers for all-organic field-effect transistors are under development to cope with the increasing demand for novel materials for organic electronics. Besides the semiconductor, the dielectric layer determines the efficiency of the final device. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a frequently used dielectric. In this work, the chemical structure of this material was stepwise altered by incorporation of cross-linkable and/or self-organizing comonomers to improve the chemical stability and the dielectric properties. Different types of cross-linking methods were used to prevent dissolution, swelling or intermixing of the dielectric e.g. during formation processes of top electrodes or semiconducting layers. Self-organizing comonomers were expected to influence the dielectric/semiconductor interface, and moreover, to enhance the chemical resistance of the dielectric. Random copolymers were obtained by free radical and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. With 6-[4-(4'-cyanophenyl)phenoxy]alkyl side chains having hexyl or octyl spacer, thermotropic liquid crystalline (LC) behavior and nanophase separation into smectic layers was observed, while copolymerization with methyl methacrylate induced molecular disorder. In addition to chemical, thermal and structural properties, electrical characteristics like breakdown field strength (EBD) and relative permittivity (k) were determined. The dielectric films were studied in metal-insulator-metal setups. EBD appeared to be strongly dependent on the type of electrode used and especially the ink formulation. Cross-linking of PMMA yielded an increase in EBD up to 4.0 MV/cm with Ag and 5.7 MV/cm with

PEDOT

PSS electrodes because of the increased solvent resistance. The LC side chains reduce the ability for cross-linking resulting in decreased breakdown field strengths.

Wetting behavior of oleophobic polymer coatings synthesized from fluorosurfactant-macromers

Architecturally similar monomers were copolymerized with a water-oil discriminate fluorosurfactant to create hydrophilic-oleophobic coatings. Acrylic acid, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and methyl methacrylate were used as comonomers with the fluorosurfactant macromer. The homopolymers of the selected comonomers are water-soluble, water-swellable, and water-insoluble, respectively, thus coupling the surfactant monomer in varying concentration within polymers of varying hydrophilicity. Wetting behavior of water and hexadecane were examined as a function of copolymer composition, thus revealing critical structure-property relationships for the surfactant-based system. Acrylic acid copolymers and hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymers both exhibited a hexadecane contact angle which exceeded the water contact angle. This condition predicted an ability to "self-clean" oil-based foulants. The most oleophobic of the self-cleaning copolymers had an advancing hexadecane contact angle of 73° and an advancing water contact angle of 40°. It was determined that the advancing and receding water and hexadecane contact angle response varies montonically for each copolymer type as the surface concentration of the surfactant is varied. Comparing between copolymer types revealed large differences in wetting response. Methyl methacrylate copolymers with 2.8 mol % surfactant had advancing water contact angle 82° and advancing hexadecane contact angle 26°, which is neither oleophobic nor self-cleaning. In contrast, acrylic acid copolymers with 3.1 mol % surfactant had advancing water contact angle of 44° and advancing hexadecane contact angle of 52°, creating a self-cleaning coating. Thus, the nature of the comonomer exerts a greater influence than the surfactant content on the wetting behavior and self-cleaning ability of the final coating.