Gelation of Fluoroalkylated End-Capped Oligomers Containing Triol Segments under Non-Crosslinked Conditions, and Binding or Releasing of Metal Ions by These Oligomers

New fluoroalkylated end-capped oligomers containing triol segments were prepared by the reactions of N-tris(hydroxymethyl)methylacrylamide and fluoroalkanoyl peroxides. Under the non-crosslinked conditions, these fluoroalkylated oligomers were found to cause a gelation, where the aggregations of fluoroalkyl segments and the hydrogen-bonding interaction are involved in establishing a physical gel network not only in water, but also in organic solvents. Therefore, it was demonstrated that the aggregation of the end-capped fluoroalkyl segments in water and/or in organic media become a new driving factor for gelation as well as such well-known interactions as the hydrogen bond and ionic interaction. These thus-obtained fluorinated oligomer hydrogels had a high Cr3+ or Co2+ binding power, and the metal ions were easily released from the metal ions-bound oligomers into water.