FLUORO-MODIFIED POLYURETHANES

M. E. PENOFF; P.A. OYANGUREN; P.E. MONTEMARTINI

Los Cocos, Córdoba, Argentina

Congreso; Archipol '09. V Argentine-Chilean Polymer Symposium. VIII Argentine Polymer Symposium. IV Chilean Symposium of Polymer Chemistry and Physical Chemistry; 2009

Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

The wide applicability of polyurethanes (PUs) is due to versatility in selection of monomeric materials from a huge list of macrodiols, diisocyanates and chain extender (CE). The chemistry involved in the synthesis of PU is centered on the isocyanate reactions. Fluorocarbon chains have been incorporated into PUs via fluoro-containing isocyanates [2], CEs [3] or SSs [4]. Fluoro-modified PUs offer significant advantages in applications where unusual bulk and surface properties are required. This approach allows the design of new structures depending on the extent of fluorine modification [1]. In this work polyethylene glycol based thermoplastic polyuretahnes (PUs) and fluorinated thermoplastic polyuretanes (FPUs) employing  etanol-terminated perfluorochains are synthesized, with the aim of comparing their properties. With the aim of studying the contact angle (CA) of samples with different fluorine content, films of FPUs with 75% hard segments (HS) were prepared by casting of THF solutions. Contact angle of water was measured in FPUs ranging from 0 to 5% F; Fig 2 shows the results obtained. It can be appreciated an increment of almost 20% in CA of 5% F with respect to the the neat polyurethane. However, 2% F is enough to modify the CA considerably.