Synthesis and properties novel polyurethane-hexafluorobutyl methacrylate copolymers.

Novel physically crosslinked polyurethane-hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (PU-M) copolymers were prepared by the macroiniferter-controlled radical polymerization method. The chemical structures of the PU-M copolymers were characterized by FT-IR, (1)H-NMR, GPC, DSC, and XPS. The self-assembly and surface properties of the PU-M copolymers have been investigated. The results revealed that PU-M copolymers have good hydrophobility, so the hydrophobility of polyurethane could be easily adjusted by controlling the content of the hydrophobic vinyl monomers. The mechanical evaluation shows that PU-M copolymers exhibit good mechanical properties. The effects of the fluorine content on the surface properties and self-assembly of the PU-M copolymers were investigated. The morphology of the PU-M copolymers' self-assembly was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the mechanism of self-assembly was investigated. Antimicrobial property of the chlorinated PU-M copolymers against both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis bacteria was examined and showed increase compared to that of pure polyurethane.