Daniel W. Brown

High pressure polymerization of perfluorostyrene

Abstract Perfluorostyrene was prepared by reaction between pentafluorophenyllithium and tetrafluoroethylene and its physical behavior and thermal polymerization were studied in the temperature and pressure ranges 17-155° and 6800-20 000 atm respectively. When highly superpressed the monomer becomes viscous and often glassy. The polymerization rates range from 10 -3 to more than 10 2 per cent h -1 . They generally increase with temperature and pressure. Polymer intrinsic viscosities range from 0.07 to 0.41 dlg -1 . In liquid phase polymerizations they increase with pressure and decrease with temperature. In the glassy phase, polymer of lower intrinsic viscosity is formed; in the crystalline phase, higher polymer is formed.