Polymerizable surfactants and micellar polymers bearing fluorocarbon hydrophobic chains based on styrene

Cationic polymerizable surfactants based on styrene with fluorocarbon chains and their hydrocarbon analogues were synthesized, and copolymerized to give micellar polymers of the polysoap type. Characteristically, the fluorocarbon polymers show a higher tendency for self-organization, but also much less mobile hydrophobic associations in aqueous media than their hydrocarbon counterparts. In contrast to statistical terpolymers of similar average composition, block copolymers made of a fluorocarbon polysoap block and a hydrocarbon polysoap block via the radical addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) method give rise to not only microphase separation between the hydrophilic polar parts and the hydrophobic apolar parts of the macromolecules, but also seem to be able to undergo additional microphase separation between hydrophobic domains made of fluorocarbon chains and those made of hydrocarbon chains, at least in the solid state.