title: Adsorption properties of oligo(fluorooxetane)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-oligo(fluorooxetane) triblock copolymers at the air-water interface: comparison of hydroxyl and acetate end groups.
abstract: ABA triblock copolymers, where A is an oligo(fluorooxetane) and B is poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), are prepared easily using an alpha,omega-dihydroxy PEO initiator and cationic, ring-opening polymerization of a fluorinated oxetane monomer. Terminal hydroxyl groups can be converted readily and quantitatively to acetate groups using acetic anhydride. Both types of triblock copolymers are surface active in water. The hydroxyl- and acetate-terminated triblocks exhibit differences in adsorption behavior. Both materials show similar surface tension reduction efficiencies (minimum surface tension at aggregation limit); however, the acetate-terminated triblock copolymer is much more effective (surface tension reduction at a given concentration to the aggregation limit). This behavior is explained by the influence of hydrogen bonding on adsorption properties of the hydroxyl-terminated triblock copolymer compared to the acetate-terminated version.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Engineering, Polymer Engineering Academic Center, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-0301, USA.
authors.forename: Ayça
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ertekin
authors.forename: Yongsin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Charles M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kausch
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Thomas