Synthesis of perfluoroalkylene oligo(ethylene glycol) alternative polymer via photoinduced polyaddition

Abstract Fluoropolymers are one of the most versatile materials with widespread applications in daily life. However, the variety of available fluoropolymers is limited. Herein, new fluorinated polymers were synthesized via the polyaddition of diene and diiodoperfluoroalkane, through photo-irradiated radical perfluoroalkylation reaction. The reaction proceeded to afford the corresponding alkyl fluoroalkyl alternative polymer. The use of a diene, which had a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) unit, enabled the control of the extent of hydrophobicity in the synthesized polymer by varying the lengths of the fluoroalkyl and PEG units.