Hydrofluorocarbon solvents for fluoromonomer polymerization

A polymerization process, comprising, contacting a fluoromonomer, a free radical source capable of initiating polymerization of said fluoromonomer, and a solvent wherein the solvent:

• is a saturated organic compound or a saturated organic compound containing one carbon-carbon double bond;
• contains only carbon, fluorine, and at least one hydrogen atom, or contains only carbon, fluorine, at least one hydrogen atom and one or more ether oxygen atoms or one or more alcohols or one or more ether oxygen atoms and one or more alcohols;
• contains at least as many fluorine atoms as hydrogen atoms;
• contains no more than two adjacent --CH.sub.2 -- groups;
• and
• has no hydrogen atoms on any primary carbon or has hydrogen atoms on primary carbon only in --CF.sub.2 OCH.sub.3 groups;
• provided that:
• when water is less than about 20 volume percent of the polymerization medium, said polymerization process is carried out at a temperature below about 100.degree. C.;
• if the solvent contains said carbon-carbon double bond, the solvent shall not be polymerizable under process conditions;
• said solvent shall have a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of about 0.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C.;
• if adjacent --CH.sub.2 -- groups are present, any carbon atoms alpha to each of the --CH.sub.2 -- groups has no hydrogen bound to it.