Synthesis and cationic photopolymerization of fluorine‐containing vinyl ether monomers for the hydrophobic films

Abstract

ABSTRACTFluorine‐containing vinyl ether monomer is a combination of UV‐curing technology and low surface energy materials. In this article, a type of fluorine‐containing vinyl ether monomer was synthesized by the reaction of fluorinated alcohols, hexafluorobenzene, 2‐vinyloxy ethanol, and sodium hydride. These monomers exhibit low viscosity and good fluidity. The effect of the fluorine content of the monomers on their UV‐curing behavior was monitored by photo‐differential scanning calorimetry. The photo‐polymerization process was efficient because the double‐bond conversed sufficiently (>85%) and the curing rate was fast (<20 s). In addition, the surface energy of homopolymer and copolymer films was researched. The surface free energy was very low and could even reach 0.92 mJ m−2. The low surface energy was due to high fluorine content and the diffusion of uncured monomers, which was on the basis of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy data and observed conversions. The structure of homopolymers and copolymers was one of the most important influences on the surface free energy and the thermal properties. The copolymers exhibited better thermal stability than the homopolymers. All of these results demonstrated that these monomers are suitable for a wide range of practical applications such as UV coatings, UV inks, and photoresists. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41019.