Tailored wettability in fluorinated carbon nanoparticles synthesized from fluorotelomer alcohols

A simple and unique method is presented for the synthesis of fluorinated carbon nanoparticles via exothermic reaction between fluorotelomer alcohols and sodium metal in a sealed polytetrafluoroethylene crucible. Four different fluorotelomer alcohols are used as precursors to investigate the effect of chain length on the microstructure, chemical structure, and fluorine content of the resulting fluorinated carbons. The materials are confirmed to be highly hydrophobic, and the effect of the selected precursor on water contact angle is elucidated. Interestingly, the fluorinated carbons have highly graphitic regions despite the relatively low reaction temperature, and a new catalytic mechanism for this is proposed. Finally, the effect of secondary heat treatment on the fluorine content and water contact angle is investigated. This work presents an effective method to tailor the fluorine content of carbons via both chemical and thermal methods.