Cationic fluorinated polyacrylate core-shell latex with pendant long chain alkyl: Synthesis, film morphology, and its performance on cotton substrates

We synthesized a novel cationic fluorinated polyacrylate latex (FLDH) with pendant long chain alkyl by copolymerization of perfluoroalkyl ethyl acrylate, lauryl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, and 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate. FTIR, H-1-NMR, TEM, DSC, and TGA were used to characterize the as-prepared FLDH. Then fine morphology, components, and hydrophobicity of films on silicon wafer and cotton substrates were investigated by scanning electron microscope, field emission scanning electronic microscope, atomic force microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle meter, etc. Results showed that the FLDH particles had quasi-spherical core-shell structure with an average diameter of 144 nm. The core-shell FLDH film thus had two T-g and its thermal property was improved compared to fluorine-free acrylate latex. FLDH could form a film on both the cotton fiber and silicon wafer substrate. At an amplification of <60,000 (of the original fiber) and the observation rule (working distance) of >100 nm, FLDH showed a smooth resin film on the treated fabric/fiber surface. However, as the observation rule decreased to 2 nm-almost a molecular lever-the FLDH film mostly exhibited an inhomogeneous structure and uneven morphology in its atomic force microscope images. There were many low or high peaks in FLDH topography. Consequently, in 5 mu m(2) scanning field, the root mean square roughness of FLDH film reached to 0.506 nm. XPS analysis indicated the perfluoroalkyl groups had the tendency to enrich at the surface. In addition, water contact angle of the treated fabric could attain 146.2 degrees. FLDH do not influence whiteness of the treated fabric but will make it slightly stiff at high doses. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci. 127: 1519-1526, 2013