To provide a water/oil repellent article which presents little burden on the environment, while being excellent in water/oil repellency, washing durability of the water repellency and friction durability of the water repellency; a method for producing such a water/oil repellent article; and a water/oil repellent composition and a water/oil repellent kit to be used for producing such a water/oil repellent article. A water/oil repellent article that comprises a substrate and, as adhered to the surface of the substrate, a fluorinated polymer having structural units based on monomer (a) having a C.sub.1-6 perfluoroalkyl group, and a specific fluorinated ether compound; a method for producing the water/oil repellent article, which comprises letting the fluorinated polymer and fluorinated ether compound be adhered to the substrate; a water/oil repellent composition which comprises the fluorinated polymer and fluorinated ether compound; and a water/oil repellent kit which comprises a first container accommodating a first liquid containing the fluorinated polymer and a second container accommodating a second liquid containing the fluorinated ether compound.

A moisture-curable curable composition includes a perfluoro(poly)ether group-containing silane compound (a1) represented by formula (I); a perfluoro(poly)ether group-containing silane compound (a2) represented by formula (II) (in each formula, the definition of each group is as defined in the specification); (b) an organic silicon compound having at least two OR.sup.2 groups (here, R.sup.2s are each independently a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group at each appearance) bonded to Si atom or a partially hydrolyzed condensate thereof; and (c) a condensation catalyst.

Disclosed herein are compositions comprising from about 0.01 wt. % to about 98 wt. % of a polycarbonate polymer component; and from greater than 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. % of a perfluorinated polyether additive, wherein the combined weight percent value of all components does not exceed 100 wt. %, and all weight percent values are based on the total weight of the composition. The composition exhibits a viscosity less than that of a substantially identical composition in the absence of the perfluorinated polyether additive when tested in accordance with ASTM D3835 at a shear rate of 500 s.sup.−1. The composition may comprise a wear factor K of less than 200×10-10 in 5-min/ft-lb-hr as measured at 50 fpm and 40 psi compared to steel in accordance with a modified ASTM D-3702.

There is provided a fluorine-containing ether compound represented by the following formula. R.sup.1—R.sup.2—CH.sub.2—R.sup.3—CH.sub.2—OCH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2O—CH.sub.2—R.sup.3—CH.sub.2—R.sup.4—R.sup.5 (in the formula. R.sup.3 represents a perfluoropolyether chain; R.sup.2 and R.sup.4 represent a divalent linking group having a polar group; R.sup.1 and R.sup.5 represent a terminal group bonded to an oxygen atom of R.sup.2 or R.sup.4; and at least one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.5 is any one selected from the group consisting of an alkenyl group having 2 to 8 carbon atoms, an alkynyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, an aromatic hydrocarbon-containing group, and an aromatic heterocycle-containing group).

The present disclosure discloses a method for preparing a hybrid-type fluorine-based nonionic surfactant capable of producing a high purity material in a high yield. By preparing a hybrid-type fluorine-based nonionic surfactant according to the present disclosure, the surfactant is mass-produced in a high yield through controlling reaction conditions including a solvent.

High temperature lubricants for magnetic media are provided. One such lubricant includes fluoroalkyl, fluoroalkenyl, perfluoroalkyl, or perfluoroalkyl ether segments, anchoring functional groups engageable with a protective overcoat of a magnetic recording media, and cyclic functional groups. The lubricants can be used in conjunction with a magnetic recording medium and/or a magnetic data storage system.

Low-profile thermally stable lubricants for data storage devices are provided based on multi-dentate molecular designs. One such lubricant comprises perfluoroalkyl ether segments, a divalent linking segment, and anchoring functional groups attachable to, or engageable with, a protective overcoat of a magnetic recording medium. The lubricants can be used in conjunction with a magnetic recording medium and/or a magnetic data storage system.

Some variations provide a sensing system configured to measure the concentration of an antimicrobial agent in a polymer, comprising: a polymer containing (i) a discrete solid structural phase comprising a solid structural polymer and (ii) a continuous transport phase comprising a solid transport polymer and capable of containing the antimicrobial agent; and an antimicrobial-agent sensor that chemically senses the antimicrobial agent. The antimicrobial-agent sensor is disposed on a surface of, and in mass transport with, the polymer. The antimicrobial-agent sensor contains a responsive material disposed on or within a carrier material. The responsive material is chemically reactive with the antimicrobial agent and exhibits an observable and quantifiable property change upon chemically reacting with the antimicrobial agent. The observable and quantifiable property change may involve chromaticity, optical transparency, ionic conductivity, or electronic conductivity, for example. Some variations provide methods of making and/or using the sensing system.

The present invention relates to a low refractive layer and an anti-reflective film comprising the same. The low refractive layer can exhibit excellent optical properties such as a low reflectance and a high light transmittance, and excellent mechanical properties such as high wear resistance and scratch resistance at the same time, without adversely affecting the color of the polymer resin forming the low refractive layer. In particular, due to the excellent alkali resistance, the low refractive layer can maintain excellent physical properties even after alkali treatment. Therefore, when introducing a low refractive layer to the display device, it is expected that the production process can be simplified and further the production rate and the productivity can significantly increase.

The present invention relates to polymers obtained by the copolymerization of (per)fluoropolyether (PFPE), tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and at least one non-homopolymerizable olefin.