John Peter Hobbs

Surface Fluorination of Polymers

This chapter describes the existing commercial applications of direct fluorination of polymer surfaces and briefly discusses some emerging applications that have not yet been commercialized. To those familiar with the highly oxidizing and toxic nature of gaseous elemental fluorine, its acceptance by industries that have traditionally avoided the use of potentially hazardous substances may be surprising. This acceptance in industries such as blow-molding is a tribute to the engineers, materials scientists, and chemists who have worked to develop safe and reliable methods for the production, storage, transport, and application of this powerful fluorinating agent.