MELT CONDENSATION AND SOLUTION POLYMERIZATION OF HIGHLY FLUORINATED ALIPHATIC POLYESTERS

Highly fluorinated aliphatic polyesters were synthesized from a fluoro diol [HOCH2CH2(CF2)(8)CH2CH2OH] and both sebacoyl chloride and adipoyl chloride. Melt condensation polymerization followed by fractionation resulted in polymer samples with number average molecular weights in e xcess of 10 000. The use of solution polymerization yielded inferior r esults - with sebacoyl chloride the resultant polymers were of lower m olecular weight, and with adipoyl chloride no polymer was formed. The fluoropolyesters have been characterized by H-1 NMR and FT-IR spectros copies, solubility, water contact angle, DSC and TGA. Crosslinking via peroxide of the polyester derived from sebacoyl chloride was successf ul; however, the resultant elastomeric-type material possessed residua l crystallinity (from the parent polymer) and a low melting point.