Poly(hexafluoroisopropylacrylate/decyl)methylsiloxane Copolymer: a New Material with the Low Surface Energy

A copolymer of poly(hexafluoroisopropylacrylate)siloxane (F6) and polydecylmethylsiloxane (C10) was synthesized for the first time. The addition of 50 mol % of F6 groups into C10 led to a decrease in the surface energy from 25.5 to 16.5 MJ/m². Composite membranes M1 and M2 were made of C10 and F6–C10 copolymer. The gas transport properties of the membranes were studied before and after 2 months of exposure to pollutant solutions (ABE, lecithin, protein). Comparing the permeability of M1 and M2, it was found that M2 has higher resistance to fouling. Thus, a protein solution reduced the CO₂ permeability of M1 by 29% and that of M2 by 83%.