Durably antifouling blends of fluorinated multiblock copolymers and polypropylene with micro-nano structures

Abstract

Fluoropolymers are widely used as hydrophobic coatings on plastics, which have low stability and durability. Therefore, it has been a challenge to strengthen the bond force between plastics and fluoropolymers, to improve their chain entanglement, and to make the hydrophobicity of those materials more stable and durable. In this paper, fluorinated multiblock copolymers (PNANPF6-PCOE) with good hydrophobicity, processability and thermal stability were prepared by macromolecular cross metathesis (MCM) method. Notably, micro-nano structures were formed by simply controlling the reaction time of MCM due to the disparity of rigidity and flexibility and polarity in PCOE and PNANPF6 blocks. The micro-nano structures were also preserved in the blends of PNANPF6-PCOE/polypropylene (PP). The tensile mechanical properties and hydrophobicity of PNANPF6-PCOE/PP blends are affected by the length of PCOE and PNANPF6 blocks in multiblock copolymer. With the high temperature in melt-blending process, fluorinated segment groups could easily move and aggregate to the surface, and alkyl groups also would entangle and compatibly blend with polypropylene, which resulted in good thermal properties, well mechanical performance and great hydrophobicity. Most importantly, the antifouling durability to coffee, cola and ethanol was greatly enhanced by melt-blending process compared with solution coating method. This can provide a new strategy for the preparation of fluorinated multiblock copolymers with micro-nano structures, and would demonstrate a new way to achieve durable hydrophobicity and antifouling properties in general materials.