Water displacement composition and a method of use

A method of drying by water displacement from a surface of an article comprising the steps:

• 1) immersing a wet article into a liquid composition comprising (a) predominantly by weight, a normally liquid, perfluorinated, chlorine-free, inert solvent and (b) a nonionic, fluoroaliphatic surface active agent, wherein said surface active agent is represented by the general formula:
• ##STR7## wherein R.sub.f is a divalent, inert, fluoroaliphatic group containing 3 to 20 carbon atoms, such that the skeletal chain of R.sub.f is straight chain, branched chain, if sufficiently large, cyclic, or combinations thereof, further the skeletal chain optionally includes one or more catenary divalent oxygen or trivalent nitrogen atoms bonded only to carbon atoms, such heteroatom being a chemically stable linkage between fluorocarbon portions of the fluoroaliphatic group and not interfering with the inert character of the R.sub.f group;
• R.sup.1 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which can be straight chain, branched chain or cyclic or combinations thereof;
• R.sup.2 is an aliphatic group containing 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and further contains at least one hydroxyl which may be terminal, such that the skeletal chain of R.sup.2 is straight chain, branched chain, and if sufficiently large, cyclic, or combinations thereof, and further the skeletal chain optionally includes one or more caternary heteroatoms;
• Z is a carbonyl group or a sulfonyl group;
• and
• Y is a fluorine, F.sub.5 SCF.sub.2 --, ##STR8## wherein, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and Z are as defined above;
• 2) agitating the wet article either by boiling the water displacement composition or by an external agitation means, wherein the agitation means is ultrasonic motion or mechanical agitation;
• 3) separating the displaced water from the water displacement composition;
• and
• 4) removing the resulting water-free article from the water displacement composition.

A method of displacing water from a surface which comprises contacting the surface with a liquid composition comprising (a) predominantly by weight, a normally liquid, perfluorinated, chlorine-free, inert solvent and (b) a nonionic, fluoroaliphatic surface active agent, wherein said surface active agent is represented by the general formula:

• ##STR9## wherein R.sup.3.sub.f is a divalent, inert, fluoroaliphatic group containing 3 to 12 carbon atoms, such that the skeletal chain of R.sup.3.sub.f is a straight chain, branched, and if sufficiently large, cyclic, or combinations thereof, and contains carbon, fluorine, and at least one catenary divalent oxygen or a trivalent nitrogen bonded only to carbon atoms, such heteroatom being a chemically stable linkage between fluorocarbon portions of the fluoroaliphatic group and not interfering with the inert character of the R.sup.3.sub.f group;
• R.sup.1 is a hydrogen or a lower alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which can be straight chain, branched chain or cyclic, or combinations thereof;
• R.sup.2 is an aliphatic group containing 2 to 12 carbon atoms, such that the skeletal chain of R.sup.2 is a straight chain, branched chain or cyclic, or combinations thereof, contains at least one hydroxyl, which may be terminal, and can contain one or more heteroatoms;
• and
• Y is a fluorine, F.sub.5 SCF.sub.2 --, ##STR10## wherein R.sup.1, and R.sup.2 are as defined above.

A method of displacing water from a surface which comprises contacting the surface with a water displacement composition comprising (a) predominantly by weight, a normally liquid, perfluorinated, chlorine-free, inert solvent and (b) a nonionic, fluoroaliphatic surface active agent, wherein said surface active agent is represented by the general formula:

• ##STR11## wherein R.sub.f is a divalent, inert, fluoroaliphatic group containing 3 to 20 carbon atoms, such that the skeletal chain of R.sub.f is straight chain, branched chain, and if sufficiently large, cyclic, or combinations thereof, the skeletal chain optionally includes at least one catenary divalent oxygen or trivalent nitrogen bonded only to carbon atoms, such heteroatom being a chemically stable linkage between fluorocarbon portions of the fluoroaliphatic group and not interfering with the inert character of the R.sub.f group;
• R.sup.1 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which can be straight chain, branched chain or cyclic, or combinations thereof;
• R.sup.2 is an aliphatic group containing 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and further contains at least one hydroxyl group, which may be terminal, such that the skeletal chain of R.sup.2 is straight chain, branched chain, and if sufficiently large, cyclic, or combinations thereof, and can further include one or more heteroatoms;
• and
• Y is a fluorine, F.sub.5 SCF.sub.2 -- ##STR12## wherein R.sup.1, and R.sup.2 are as defined above.