Characterization of plasma deposited poly(heptadecafluoro-1-decene)

• Fluorocarbon coatings were deposited by plasma polymerization of perfluoro-1-decene
• Lower retention of fluorocarbon chains was observed at high power inputs
• Lower liquids repellency was observed at high power inputs
• AFM nanoindentation allowed characterization of the mechanical properties

Fluorocarbon coatings were deposited by plasma polymerization of 1H,1H,2H-perfluoro-1-decene (HDFD). Chemical and morphological characterization of coatings obtained from different process parameters was performed by means of Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR/ATR) spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Hydro- and oleo-repellency were evaluated by contact angle measurements with different liquids. Optical properties were investigated by acquiring the transmittance spectra in the region 300–900 nm. Finally, evaluation of the mechanical properties was performed by means AFM nanoindentation. By increasing the Yasuda factor (the energy consumed per mass of monomer), coatings with lower retention of fluorocarbon chains were obtained. The F/C ratio, measured by means of EDX analysis, decreased from 0.85 for coatings deposited at 10 W to 0.69 for coatings deposited at 100 W. As a consequence of the lower retention of fluorocarbon chains, coatings deposited at high Yasuda factors displayed lower hydro- and oleo-repellency. In addition, these coatings contains large amount of unsaturated groups (CFCF, CFCCF, …), as assessed by ATR analysis. This led to a lower transparency, due to radiation absorption in the visible region. On the other hand, the mechanical properties (and hence the durability) of the coatings increased with the energy consumed per monomer molecule.