Robust Vapor-Deposited Antifouling Fluoropolymer Coatings for Stainless Steel Polymerization Reactor Components

Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) offers a solventless and scalable method to apply thin polymer coatings on a variety of substrates. In this report, we systematically compare the integrity, adhesion, hydrophobicity, and antifouling properties of coatings synthesized using long chain 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFDA or C8PFA) and short chain 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl acrylate (PFOA or C6PFA) precursors. Our results show that the incorporation of ethylene glycol diacrylate (EGDA) into the coatings is critical to preventing delamination and dissolution during sonication in a fluorinated solvent. The adhesion of polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer onto these surfaces was tested at simulated mixing conditions to determine the applicability of these coatings for preventing fouling during industrial polymerization processes. Graded coatings that were synthesized by polymerizing EGDA prior to polymerizing the fluorinated monomer performed better than coatings that were synthesized by copolymerization of EGDA with the fluorinated monomer. On the basis of our findings, the short chain coatings are a potential alternative to long chain coatings as an antifouling surface. Our data on the robustness and antifouling behavior of the fluoropolymer coatings on stainless steel substrates provide guidelines for designing functional coatings for industrial polymerization reactors.