Roland E. Florin

Gamma irradiation of fluorocarbon polymers

Several fluorocarbon polymers were irradiated with Co60 gamma radiation at doses up to 1022 ev/g. The polymers studied included polytetrafluoroethylene, polytrifluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene with hexafluoropropylene, and several rubbery vinylidene fluoride copolymers. G-values were measured for volatile products, for free radicals detected by electron spin resonance, and, in the case of polychlorotrifluoroethylene, for scissions. The course of degradation or crosslinking was followed by zero-strength-time and tensile-strength measurements. It was found that for polytetrafluoroethylene and its hexafluoropropylene copolymer the presence of air-accelerated scission drastically. The mechanism of the radiation-induced changes is discussed in terms of free-radical intermediates.

Radiation Curing of Coatings

Abstract Printing inks, paints, and other coatings are applied as a liquid or paste but must change to a solid and nontacky state before the painted or coated article can be used. The change is known as curing or drying. Sometimes it occurs by physical means, the evaporation of a solvent or dispersion medium for example, and sometimes by chemical changes such as polymerization and cross-linking. These chemical processes connect the many relatively small molecules of the original liquid or paste into a large molecular network or insoluble solid, which may be either rigid or rubbery in consistency depending upon the requirements of a particular application. Among traditional materials, gravure inks and many lacquers dry by solvent evaporation while paints and inks based upon linseed oil “dry” by chemical cross-linking promoted by oxygen in the air. Considerable time is usually required for curing in both methods, and the evaporation of solvents can result in air pollution and potential fire hazards. There i...

GAMMA IRRADIATION OF HEXAFLUOROBENZENE

Mixtures of hexafluorobenzene and benzene were irradiated in liquid phase by means of a Co60 gamma source at 20° and at 218° C. Perfluoroheptane and various binary mixtures involving perfluoroheptane, hexafluorobenzene, benzene, and cyclohexane were also irradiated at 20° C. Hexafluorobenzene resembled benzene very closely in its behavior upon radiolysis. Generally the fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon mixtures evolved much more SiF4 (indicating the formation of HF, which reacts with the glass vessel) than the pure fluorocarbon components. The polymer from hexafluorobenzene-benzene mixtures was probably rich in cyclohexadiene and cyclohexene units, resembling that from pure benzene, and its composition ratio exhibited a strong “alternating” tendency. The results are discussed in terms of free-radical and excited-state mechanisms. At 218° C hexafluorobenzene and also its mixtures with benzene showed qualitative differences from their behavior at 20° C, although the G values for SiF4 and polymer remained moderate.