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Fluoroalkyl acrylate (FA) polymers are widely used as fluorine-based water and oil repellents for various materials such as textiles, carpets and paper. Water repellency can also be achieved 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. For that reason, generally fluorine-based systems are currently employed as water and oil repellents. In recent years, extensive investigations and research have been carried out because of increasing concerns about the accumulation in the environment and the living body of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) derived from fluorotelomers, which constitute the raw material for FA polymers. This chapter gives an overview of the PFOA issue and the production process of FA polymers, touching upon the relationship between the water-repellent performance of FA polymers and their structures. The future prospects of alternative technologies to produce environmentally friendly (short-chain type) fluorine-based water and oil repellents and PFOA-free products are discussed.

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