2016 Volume 16 Issue 3 Pages 119-127
Fluoroalkylacrylate (FA) polymers are widely used as fluorine-based water and oil repellents for various materials such as textiles, carpets, papers, etc. Water repellency can also be given with silicone-based polymers and hydrocarbon polymers but, with FA polymers, even higher resistance to water pressure, better oil repellency, and antifouling properties can be attained and, for that reason, generally fluorine-based systems are currently employed as water and oil repellents.
In recent years, extensive investigations and researches have been carried out because of increasing concerns due to the accumulation in the environment and the living body of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) derived from fluorotelomers which constitute the raw material of FA polymers.
In this review we give an overview of the PFOA issue, the production process of FA polymers, touching on the relationship between the water-repellent performance of FA polymers and their structures. Furthermore, we discuss the future prospects of alternative technologies to produce environmentally friendly (short chain type) fluorine-based water and oil repellents as well as PFOA-free type of these products.
