Preparation of a variety of fluoroalkyl end‐capped N‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐3‐oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomer/silica nanocomposites possessing no weight loss characteristic at 800°C

Abstract

AbstractA variety of fluoroalkyl end‐capped N‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐3‐oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomer [RF‐(DOBAA)n‐ RF]/silica nanocomposites, in which the oligomer contents are 18–96%, were prepared by reactions of the corresponding fluorinated oligomer with tetraethoxysilane and silica nanoparticles under alkaline conditions. Each fluorinated oligomer/silica composite thus obtained is nanometer size‐controlled very fine particles (22–68 nm) possessing a good dispersibility and stability in a variety of solvents including water. Interestingly, the weight loss of RF‐(DOBAA)n‐RF/silica nanocomposites, in which the oligomer contents are 18–72%, were not observed at all even at 800°C, as well as the original silica nanoparticles, although the corresponding sub‐micrometer size‐controlled RF‐ (DOBAA)n‐RF/silica composites (particle size: 359 nm) decomposed completely at 800°C to afford the weight loss in proportion to the content of RF‐(DOBAA)n‐RF oligomer in composites. On the other hand, a slight weight loss of RF‐(DOBAA)n‐RF/silica nanocomposites, in which the oligomer contents are 75–94%, was observed at 800°C compared to that of the original silica nanoparticles. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.