A simple synthetic method for preparing the core-shell latex particles containing fluorinated shell was presented. Polymerization was achieved by a low-sheer monomer-starved emulsion polymerization process, thus facilitating mobility and subsequent polymerization of perfluoroacrylate (FA) along with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and n-butyl acrylate (nBA) monomers. The structure and thermal behavior of the resulting perfluoroacrylate copolymer were investigated by FTIR, NMR, and DSC. Furthermore, PCS, TEM as well as SFM, were carried out to characterize the surface morphology of the particles. These studies illustrated that the incorporation of FA into MMA/nBA particle morphologies facilitated surface phase separation during coalescence, resulted in F-containing film-air interfaces. Thus, surface properties with a significant increase in the contact angles could be produced. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.