H2O2‐photosensitized emulsion copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene with propylene

Abstract

AbstractThe H2O2‐photosensitized emulsion copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene with propylene was carried out at room temperature in the presence of gaseous monomers of 50 mole‐% tetrafluoroethylene content. The conversion increased almost linearly with irradiation time. The rate of polymerization was proportional to the 1.0 power of H2O2 concentration up to 3.5 × 10−3M H2O2 and the 0.46 power of H2O2 concentration above 3.5 × 10−3M H2O2. The result obtained at low H2O2 concentration was almost consistent with that obtained in the radiation‐induced method. The rate of polymerization was proportional to the 0.58 power of the emulsifier concentration, and the degree of polymerization was independent of the emulsifier concentration. The H2O2‐photosensitized emulsion copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene with propylene is terminated mainly by degradative chain transfer of the propagating radical to propylene at low H2O2 concentration and by the reaction of the propagating radical with OH radical from photolysis of H2O2–aqueous solution at high H2O2 concentration.