Efficient Synthesis of Novel Polyethylene Graft Copolymers Containing Polyfluorosiloxane Side Chains

In this work, novel polyethylene graft copolymers with polyfluorosiloxane side chains were prepared. A polyfluorosiloxane (PMTFPS) macromonomer with octenyl terminal group was synthesized by hydrosilylation of dimethylchlorosilane with 1,7-octadiene and the subsequent anionic ring-opening polymerization of 1,3,5-tris­[(3′,3′,3′-trifluoropropyl)­methyl] cyclotrisiloxane (D3F). Copolymerizations of the PMTFPS macromonomer with ethylene were performed with VCl3(THF)3/Et2AlCl catalyst system, which exhibited good tolerance and excellent catalytic activity. Resulting copolymers exhibited narrow molecular weight distribution and homogeneous chemical composition distribution. PMTFPS content ranged from 26.6 wt % to 57.4 wt %, which could be adjusted by the macromonomer feed. This synthetic pathway facilitated the straightforward fabrication of polyethylene-g-polysiloxane graft copolymers with tunable grafts.