Design and synthesis of low surface energy anhydride-based polyacrylic resin

Surfaces with micro–nano roughness and reduced surface energy owing to long-chain fluorocarbon oligomers are critical for developing superamphiphobic surfaces. Here, a series of anhydride-based polypropylene (MPA) resins with different substituents (R) in their side chains were synthesized by the radical polymerization of (meth) acrylates, styrene, and maleic anhydride. Static-oil and water contact angle tests were conducted on the MPA film, which demonstrated that the longer the carbon chain in the side chain substituent, the stronger the hydrophobicity of the coating, and the higher the fluorine content in the side chain, the higher the oleophobicity. The MPA coating with long-chain alkane side chains (R = C18H37) exhibited the greatest hydrophobicity (water contact and sliding angles of 130° and 65°, respectively). However, the MPA coating with long-chain alkanes showed poor oil repellency to non-polar solvents (oil phase). When (R) = C8F17, the coating exhibited high oleophobicity but poor friction resistance. Based on these results, a low surface energy MPA coating was designed by combining long-chain alkane groups with fluorocarbon groups. The optimized coating with a 0.8:0.4 molecular ratio of stearyl methylacrylate to 1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate exhibited both water and oil repellency (water and oil contact angles of 135° and 95°, respectively) and adequate mechanical properties.