Surface analysis of coating based on novel water‐diluted fluorinated polymer/silica hybrids

A novel water‐diluted hybrid coating, consisting of fluorinated poly(urethane‐acrylate) (PUA) and colloidal silica, was prepared by introducing a small amount of fluorinated methacrylate units into the PUA chains. The surface composition and surface morphology of the hybrid film were studied extensively. Attenuated total reflectance spectra of infrared analyses showed an enrichment of fluorine‐containing polymer and silica particles on the surface. Using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy with Ar+etching, it was confirmed that a higher concentration than the calculated value of fluorine element was found on the surface of the fluorinated hybrid film, and the amount of silica increased from the very surface to the near surface. The fluorinated alkyl side chains of the fluorinated polymethacrylate were found to orient toward the surface. It is inferred that the silica particles prevent the migration of fluorine‐containing chains for some kind of effect. A comparison of surface topography between the fluorinated PUA film and the fluorinated PUA/SiO2hybrid film was carried out using atomic force microscopy. Finally, the surface property of the hybrid coating was also determined by contact angle measurement. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 21: 268–274, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10030