Fluorochemical oligomer and use thereof

• US 6,284,843 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Klun, Thomas P., Jariwala, Chetan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Seidleck, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asinovsky, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/677,396
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 525/276, 525/199, 525/200, 526/255, 524/462, 524/544, 264/22, 264/211.22
• US Class Current: 525/276
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 323/52 the carbon skeleton being acyclic and saturated
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 5/435 Sulfonamides
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 101/00 Compositions of unspecified macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3154 Of fluorinated addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

The present invention provides a novel fluorochemical oligomer, and polymer composition comprising the fluorochemical oligomeric compound and a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer. The polymer composition is useful in preparing shaped articles such as fibers and films which have desirable oil- and water repellency properties.

Claims

1. A fluorochemical oligomer having the structure:

wherein the sum of a+b is an number such that the compound is oligomeric;

R₁ is hydrogen, halogen, or straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms;

each R₂ is independently hydrogen or straight chain or branched chain alkyl containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms;

Q and Q′

are each independently a covalent bond or an organic linking group,

R_f is a fluoroaliphatic group that comprises a fully fluorinated terminal group;

R_h is a fluorine-free aliphatic group; and

X is a hydrogen atom or a group derived from a free radical initiator; and

L is a non-polymeric linking group.

2. The fluorochemical oligomer of claim 1 wherein at least one of said R_h groups has 22 or more carbon atoms.

3. The fluorochemical oligomer of claim 1 wherein the ratio of R_f groups to R_h groups is at least 4:

1.

4. The fluorochemical oligomer of claim 1 wherein R_f has the structure C_oF_2o+1, where o is 4 to 14.

5. The fluorochemical oligomer of claim 1 wherein L is selected from the group of a covalent bond, straight chain, branched chain, or cyclic alkylene, arylene, aralkylene, oxy, oxo, thio, sulfonyl, sulfoxy, amino, imino, sulfonamido, carboxamido, carbonyloxy, urethanylene, ureylene, and combinations thereof.

6. The fluorochemical oligomer of claim 1 wherein L is chosen from the group consisting of a covalent bond,

7. The fluorochemical oligomer of claim 1 comprising oligomerized units of compounds of the formula

8. A polymer composition comprising the fluorochemical oligomer of claim 1 and a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer.

9. The polymer composition of claim 8 wherein said thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyamides, acrylates, polyesters, polyurethanes, and polyolefins.

10. The composition of claim 8 wherein said fluorochemical oligomer comprises from 0.5 to 5 weight percent of said polymer composition.

11. A shaped article comprising the polymer composition of claim 8.

12. The shaped article of claim 11 wherein said fluorochemical oligomer comprises from 10 to 10,000 ppm fluorine.

13. The shaped article of claim 11 selected from the group of films, sheets and fibers.

14. An oily mist resistant electret filter medium comprising polypropylene electret fibers comprising the polymer composition of claim 9.

15. The filter medium of claim 14 wherein said fibers have an effective fiber diameter of 2 to 30 micrometers.

16. The filter medium of claim 14 wherein said fibers have been annealed.

17. The filter medium of claim 14 wherein said filter media has a basis weight of 10 to 100 g/m².

18. A fabric comprising the fibers of claim 13.

19. A medical gown comprising the fabric of claim 18.

20. The composition of claim 8 wherein said thermoset polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxy resins, epoxides and acrylates.