Interrogation of silane incorporation in a modified tetrafluoroethylene-co-Ethyl(vinyl)ether fluoropolymer by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Abstract

A tetrafluoroethylene-co-ethyl(vinyl)ether copolymer has been interrogated to evaluate polymer composition and probe incorporation of a triisopropoxyvinylsilane. Fluoropolymers have applications in the electronics and semiconductor industries but since fluorinated polymers have both hydro- and oleophobic properties adhesion to certain substrates can be a challenge. Modifiers, including silanes, can be incorporated to enhance substrate binding and provide a mechanism for crosslinking allowing the polymer to maintain a rigid network with a required geometry. The concentration and structure of silane in the uncrosslinked polymer are, therefore, critical for understanding physical performance. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) allows polymer structure to be interrogated probing the unique electrochemical bonding environment of a nucleus of interest. Short range order can be elucidated by different multidimensional NMR experiments that probe connectivity either through space or through bond. In this study NMR has been utilized to characterize a polyfluorinated silane modifying polymer, where multiple nonequivalent silane structures are observed.