New perfluoropolyether urethane methacrylates as surface modifiers: Effect of molecular weight and end group structure

The paper reports the synthesis and characterisation of two new series of perfluoropolyether methacrylates, characterised by increasing MW and different end groups. They were used as co-monomers in the polymerisation of Bisphenol A bis-ethylether diacrylate via a UV-curing process. Notwithstanding their very low concentration (<1% w/w), the fluorinated monomers caused a dramatic change of the surface properties of the copolymeric networks. They showed an excellent surface activity evidencing hydrophobic and lipophobic properties which could be modulated either by changing the MW and the end group of the fluorinated co-monomer or by controlling the curing process, in particular the time elapsing between the coating of the co-monomers mixtures onto the substrate and the irradiation of the systems.