The introduction of P(3FOx), poly[3-(3,3,3-trifluoroethoxymethyl)-3-methyloxetane) in a triblock PDMS composition was explored. To achieve this goal, (1) P(3FOx) diol was end capped with HMDI, (4,4'-(methylene-bis-(p-cyclohexyl isocyanate)), (2) a reaction of the intermediate with PDMS having diaminopropyl end groups was carried out, and (3) a final reaction with isocyanatopropyltriethoxy silane resulted in a reactive triblock that underwent condensation cure.XPS and contact angles on cured coatings are identical to a PDMS control. TM-AFM phase images for a fracture surface of a typical triblock composition showed microscale phase separation. Mn for the P(3FOx) block is modest (4.5 kDa), but these results emphasize immiscibility for PDMS / fluorous systems. A phase separated bulk morphology accounts for remarkable toughening for usually weak condensation cured PDMS. Good optical transparency is attributed to nearly identical refractive indexes for PDMS (1.406) and P(3FOx) (1.401) domains.

PDMS-P(3FOx)-PDMS: A novel, tough hybrid triblock elastomer

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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