Preparation and properties of UV-curable fluorinated polyurethane acrylates containing crosslinkable vinyl methacrylate for antifouling coatings

To obtain highly effective antifouling coatings, a series of UV-curable polyurethane acrylates containing diluents [heptadecafluorodecyl methacrylate (PFA, 6 wt %)/isobornyl acrylate (IBOA, 34 wt %)/methyl methacrylate (MMA, 20-5 wt %)/vinyl methacrylate (VMA, 0-15 wt %)] were prepared. This study examined the effect of bulky MMA (20-5 wt %)/crosslinkable VMA (0-15 wt %) weight ratio on the properties of the UV-curable polyurethane acrylates. The fluorine concentration in UV-cured film surface increased with increasing VMA content up to 9 wt % and then decreased. The T-g, transparency, elasticity, and mechanical properties of the UV-cured film samples increased with increasing VMA content. The water/methylene iodide contact angles and surface tension of samples increased from 107/79 to 121/91 degrees and decreased from 17.8 to 12.7 mN/m with increasing VMA content up to 9 wt % and then decreased/increased, respectively. From these results, it was found that the optimum VMA content was 9 wt % to obtain a high-performance antifouling coating. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42168.