Search results for "perfluoropolyether surfactant"

Surfactant Assisted Polymerization of Tetrafluoroethylene in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide with a Pilot Scale Batch Reactor.

2008

Chain-free radical polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), at 50 °C and 121–133 bar, with tertiary-amyl-per-pivalate as a free radical initiator, using a 5-L pilot scale batch reactor. Experiments were carried out both in the absence and in the presence of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) carboxylate surfactants. Stabilizers were employed under the free acid form and as sodium and calcium salts. An expanded fibrillated poly(TFE) was obtained in all experiments. In the case of surfactant-free polymerizations, the product was mainly constituted by irregular shape macroparticles having size in the range 200–500 μm. Quite interestingly, when…