Immobilization of a fluorinated polymer Langmuir–Blodgett monolayer on a solid substrate for surface nanocoating

Abstract

N-(1H,1H-Pentadecafluorooctyl)methacrylamide copolymers containing carboxyl groups as reactive moieties were prepared to explore a novel method for surface nanocoating materials. All the copolymers form stable monolayers on a water surface. Those monolayers can be transferred onto solid substrates, thereby creating Y-type Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films. Contact angle and critical surface tension measurements were used to characterize the surfaces of the copolymer LB films. The copolymer monolayer can be immobilized onto solid substrates that are modified with an aminosilane coupling agent through heat treatment. We monitored the immobilization process using water contact angle and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The immobilized monolayer on SiO₂ surface yields a smooth surface at the nanoscale, which was observed using atomic force microscopy.