Fluorinated poly(isobornyl methacrylate–co–butyl acrylate) core–shell latex nanoparticles: Synthesis, morphology and wettability of films

Facile Preparation of a Transparent and Rollable Omniphobic Coating with Exceptional Hardness and Wear Resistance

The encapsulating film for the touchscreen of a foldable smartphone consists of a flexible polymer layer covered by a hard coating and an antismudge coating, and the two coating layers are currently deposited via separate steps. This paper reports the preparation of a bilayer bifunctional coating via the deposition of a single polymer mixture. The base material for the coating is a ladder-like polysilsesquioxane (LASQ) that is derived from the sol-gel chemistry of 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane. Reacting a limiting amount of the liquid antismudge agent FP-COOH, which is a perfluorinated poly(propylene oxide) bearing a terminal carboxyl group, with LASQ yields m-LASQ-FP, a mixture of unreacted LASQ, and a graft copolymer LASQ-FP. m-LASQ-FP at a fluorine mass fraction of 6.0% is photocured to yield a coating with a surface energy of 12.3 ± 1.5 mJ/m². At a thickness of 40 μm, the coating has at 500 nm a transmittance of >99% measured against its glass substrate, a remarkable nanoindentation hardness H value of 1.4 GPa, and a pencil hardness of > 9H. After being abraded for 300 strokes under a pressure of 26 kPa with steel wool, the coating exhibits no noticeable degradation in its ink contraction properties. At a thickness of 10 μm on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) film, the coating can undergo inward (on the inner surface of the bend) and outward bending to radii <1 and <2 mm, respectively, without cracking. Aside from being a superb candidate as a protective antismudge coating for foldable smartphones, this marvelous material should also have many other applications.

Strategies to incorporate a fluorinated acrylate monomer into polymer particles: from particle morphology to film morphology and anticorrosion properties

Four strategies to incorporate a fluorinated monomer (perfluoro octyl acrylate, POA) into a waterborne polymeric dispersion are investigated. Due to the very low water solubility of the POA monomer, three of the strategies use miniemulsion droplets containing the whole POA monomer in the initial charge. The rest of the comonomers of the formulation (methyl methacrylate, MMA, and n-butyl acrylate, BA) are partially incorporated in the initial miniemulsion or fed to the reactor as a preemulsion. In the fourth strategy, a conventional seeded semibatch emulsion polymerization is carried out using cyclodextrin in the seed and feeding the POA/MMA/BA preemulsion to the reactor. Each process strategy led to a distinct particle morphology and hence a particular film morphology. We found that the strategy that produced core–shell particles with the core composed by pure polyPOA yielded the films that showed the best corrosion protection as measured in salt-spray test (1200 h standing without damage).

Preparation of Block Copolymer Nano-Objects with Embedded β-Ketoester Functional Groups by Photoinitiated RAFT Dispersion Polymerization

Herein, a photoinitiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of 2-(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate (AEMA) in ethanol/water at room temperature for in situ preparation of β-ketoester-functionalized block copolymer nano-objects is reported. AEMA is also copolymerized with isobornyl methacrylate (IBOMA) to improve the colloidal stability of PIBOMA-based block copolymer nano-objects prepared by photoinitiated RAFT dispersion polymerization at low temperatures. A series of P(IBOMA-stat-AEMA)-based block copolymer nano-objects are prepared by changing reaction parameters. Finally, lanthanide-doped block copolymer nano-objects with luminescent and magnetic properties are also prepared based on the complexation of various lanthanide ions with the β-ketoester group. It is expected that the current study will provide a facile platform for the in situ preparation of β-ketoester-functionalized block copolymer nano-objects with different morphologies for specific applications.

Change of Characterization and Film Morphology Based on Acrylic Pressure Sensitive Adhesives by Hydrophilic Derivative Ratio

Hydrophilic acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) were synthesized by controlling the contents of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA), isobornyl acrylate (IBOA), and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA); especially, the characteristic change of the HEA content was analyzed. Surface contact angle of acrylic PSA film decreased from 77.87° to 70.23° in the case of Acryl-2 to Acryl-8 (below HEA 10 wt %). However, the surface contact angle of Acryl-10 to Acryl-40 (HEA 10 wt % to 40 wt %) increased up to 92.29°, indicating hydrophobicity. All acrylic PSA films showed high adhesive force above 1800 gf/25 mm. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement, hydrophilic acrylic PSAs exhibited amorphous property and it was confirmed that the morphology of acrylic PSA film was significantly affected by the flexibility of the polymer chain and the strength of hydrogen bonding. The affinity with hydrophilic materials for acrylic PSA films was evaluated by T-type peel test, confirming that the affinity with hydrophilic materials is determined by the hydrophilicity of the acrylic PSA film. The synthesized acrylic PSA film is non-toxic regardless of the hydrophilicity.

Preparation of Cross-Linkable Waterborne Polyurethane-Acrylate Coating Films with Multifunctional Properties

Self-migration or unstable phase inversion occurs when the application conditions are varied, which limits the application of polyurethane-acrylate (PUA) composite films. In this paper, cross-linked polyurethane/poly(methyl methacrylate-co-borneol acrylate) shell microspheres were prepared by using the seeded emulsion polymerization method. The core-shell structure of these samples was identified by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM). Moreover, HR-TEM images indicated that the core-shell structure of the microsphere does not undergo complete phase inversion. In addition, with increasing content of borneol acrylate in the shell, the water resistance and antibacterial adhesion of films were improved. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), water contact angle (CA) measurements, antibacterial and anti-adhesion tests demonstrate that the C/N ratios of films from the inside to the upper surface had an obvious gradient in growth, indicating the shell component (polyborneol acrylate) was predominantly present at the surface of films after coalescence in cross-linked core-shell PUA. It was found that a suitable degree of cross-linking contributes to the segregation of the hydrophobic component (borneol groups) on the film surface. As a consequence, the excellent water resistance, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial properties endowed this series of polymer materials with promising application potential in the biomedical field.

Controllable Surface and Optical Properties of Methacrylic Copolymer Films Using Various Monomer Combinations

Various fluorinated methacrylic copolymers (PFPMA- X) were prepared from 2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl methacrylate (PFPMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and three other nonfluorinated monomers. The surface and the optical properties of these copolymers were controlled by changing the ratio of PFPMA to MMA while keeping the sum of the concentration of the two monomers fixed at 60 wt %. The parameter X represents the nominal concentration of PFPMA in various feed ratios of all five monomers. Depending on the increase in PFPMA content in PFPMA- X, the surface energy varied proportionately between 26.7 (PFPMA content: 20 wt %) and 17.4 mN/m (PFPMA content: 60 wt %), which is well-correlated with the fluorine content on the surface. Interestingly, we found that all PFPMA- X-coated glasses showed different transmittance curves in the wavelength range of 300-700 nm, and the wavelength at which maximum transmittance was recorded shifted as a function of the copolymer composition. In addition, the surface coatings of PFPMA- X with higher fluorine contents increased the transmittance of bare glass by approximately 1-2%. Quite lower and tunable refractive indices were obtained depending on the fluorine content, and all PFPMA- X showed extremely lower birefringences. Freestanding films of PFPMA- X were also well-formed, indicating that they can be used in a wide range of applications.

Engineered Multifunctional Fluorinated Film Based on Semicontinuous Emulsion Polymerization Using Polymerizable Quaternary Ammonium Emulsifiers

Along with society’s progress, high-quality coatings are widely used. Although fluorinated polymers were successfully prepared by semicontinuous emulsion polymerization with surfactants, chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE), and acrylate monomers, the optimization collocation of surfactants still has room for improvement. The traditional emulsifiers are physically absorbed onto the surface of latex particles. The latex film generated by latex particles is unstable in water, which limits its application. Herein, a novel series of cationic quaternary ammonium polymerizable surfactant was selected because it can react with CTFE and acrylate monomers and can become a part of the polymers. We also studied the effects of emulsifier type on resultant emulsion properties. In addition, wonderful weatherability, water resistance, and antibacterial and antifouling of the multifunctional fluorinated films were observed, which would open up a bright future for coating industries.

Fibrous membranes electrospun from the suspension polymerization product of styrene and butyl acrylate for oil–water separation

Fibrous membranes electrospun from the copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate could separate oil from water due to their excellent hydrophobicity.

Synthesis and Properties of Nano-TiO2 Modified Fluorine-Containing Polyacrylate Soap-Free Emulsion

Nano-TiO2Modified Fluorine-Containing Polyacrylate Soap-Free Emulsion was Successfully Synthesized via Soap-Free Emulsion Polymerization Technique, in which the Polymerization Monomers Consisted of Methyl Methacrylate (MMA), Butyl Acrylate (BA) and Dodecafluoroheptyl Methacrylate (DFMA). the Influence of Amount of Initiator, Emulsifier, Containing Fluorine Monomer and nano-TiO2on the Performance of Emulsion was Investigated. the Results Showed that the Good Polymerization Stability, and High Monomer Conversion were Obtained when the Amount of Ammonium Initiator was 1.2%, the Amount of Reactive Emulsifier was 3.5%. with Increasing Amount of DFMA, the Monomer Conversion Decreased and the Gel Rate Increased Gradually with the Increase of DFMA Amount. UV-Blocking Ability of the Cotton Fabric Treated with the Hybrid Emulsion Containing Nano-Tio2increased with Increasing Amount of Nano-TiO2. IR Spectrum Results Showed that Nano-TiO2and Fluorine-Containing Monomer were Successfully Introduced in the Segmental Structure of the Polymer. SEM Revealed that Nano-TiO2was Loaded on the Surface of the Treated Cotton Fabric which had Good Hydrophobicity.