Fluorinated polyacrylates containing amino side chains for the surface modification of waterborne epoxy resin

ABSTRACT Fluorinated polyacrylates containing amino side chains (FACAs) were synthesized to improve the water repellency of waterborne epoxy resin. First, FACA was prepared by a two‐step process. Then, a phase‐inversion emulsion technique, taking FACA as the reactive surface additives, was employed to prepare waterborne epoxy resin. The effect of the fluorinated content and the length of the fluorine side chain on the surface, thermal, and bulk properties of the waterborne epoxy resin were investigated. It was observed that moderate increase of the fluorinated content or the length of the fluorine side chain improved the contact angle and thermal properties while the mechanical property was not deteriorated. A small amount of fluoride (0.07 wt %) in the EA‐F1/3‐1 sample can dramatically increase the water contact angle from 72.63° to 95.31° due to the strong tendency of the macromonomers to migrate toward the outmost layer, resulting in enrichment of fluorine atoms on the surface. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed that for a given weight of the two macromonomers, F atomic concentration of the copolymer modified by longer fluorinated side chains was higher than that modified by short fluorinated side chains. From the present investigation, FACA successfully improved the surface property of waterborne epoxy resin and showed a prominent potential application in large‐scale industrialization. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47091.