Melt-fabricable tetrafluoroethylene/fluorinated vinyl ether copolymer prepared by suspension polymerization
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorRalph Munson Aten
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Abstract
Melt-fabricable, tough copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether is produced in a suspension polymerization process by copolymerizing tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether in a pressurized, agitated reaction vessel which contains aqueous medium, free radical initiator, and a telogen, the aqueous medium being essentially free of fluorine containing organic solvent. The contents of the reaction vessel are agitated during polymerization sufficiently to coagulate copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether. The melt-fabricable, tough copolymer having a melt viscosity of less than about 1×106 Pa·S is isolated directly from the reaction vessel.
Claims23
A process for producing a melt-fabricable, tough copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether in a suspension polymerization process comprising:
- copolymerizing tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether in a pressurized, agitated reaction vessel which contains aqueous medium, water-soluble free radical initiator, and a telogen, said aqueous medium being essentially free of fluorine containing organic solvent, said process employing fluorinated vinyl ether in an amount sufficient to produce melt-fabricable tough copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether containing from about 1 to about 20 weight % fluorinated vinyl ether;
- agitating the contents of said reaction vessel during said copolymerizing to coagulate copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether;
- and
- isolating said melt-fabricable, tough copolymer having a melt viscosity of less than about 1×106 Pa·S directly from said reaction vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.