We describe the preparation of a new set of fluorinated sulfobetaine (FSB) zwitterionic polymers in which fluorocarbon moieties are attached directly to the zwitterionic components. An efficient two-step modification to the conventional sulfobetaine methacrylate monomer synthesis gave access to a series of polymer zwitterions containing varying extents of fluorocarbon character. FSB methacrylates proved amenable to homo- and copolymerizations using reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) conditions, affording polymers with molecular weights ranging from 5 to 20 kDa and with low molecular weight distributions. Thin films of FSB homopolymers on glass proved stable to aqueous environments and exhibited increasing hydrophobicity with fluorocarbon content, as well as remarkably large water contact angle hysteresis values that enable pinning of water droplets on hydrophobic surfaces, reminiscent of the “petal effect” found in nature. FSB-containing copolymers in aqueous media demonstrated markedly reduced oil–water interfacial tension values, even with moderate (20–50 mol %) FSB incorporation.

中文翻译：

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嵌入碳氟化合物的磺基甜菜碱两性离子：合成和界面性质


我们描述了一组新型氟化磺基甜菜碱（FSB）两性离子聚合物的制备，其中碳氟部分直接连接到两性离子组分上。对传统的磺基甜菜碱甲基丙烯酸酯单体合成进行有效的两步修改，获得了一系列含有不同程度碳氟化合物特征的聚合物两性离子。事实证明，FSB 甲基丙烯酸酯适合使用可逆加成断裂链转移 (RAFT) 条件进行均聚和共聚，提供分子量范围为 5 至 20 kDa 且分子量分布较低的聚合物。玻璃上的 FSB 均聚物薄膜被证明对水环境稳定，并且随着碳氟化合物含量的增加而表现出疏水性，以及非常大的水接触角滞后值，使水滴能够固定在疏水表面上，让人想起自然界中发现的“花瓣效应” 。即使加入适量（20-50 mol%）FSB，水介质中的含 FSB 共聚物也能显着降低油水界面张力值。