Novel fluorosilicone triblock copolymers prepared by two-step RAFT polymerization: Synthesis, characterization, and surface properties

Well-defined poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-poly(2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluorobutyl methacrylate-b-poly(styrene) (PDMS-b-PHFBMA-b-PS) triblock copolymers were prepared by two-step reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The two-step RAFT polymerization proceeded in a controlled manner as demonstrated by the macromolecular characteristics of the blocks and corresponding polymerization kinetic data. Furthermore, surface properties and morphologies of the polymers were investigated with static water contact angle (WCA) measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) which showed low surface energy and microphase-separation surfaces.