Terutaka Watanabe

Radiation-induced copolymerization of methyl trifluoroacrylate with fluoroolefin

Paper describes the radiation-induced bulk copolymerization of methyl trifluoroacrylate with various ..cap alpha.. olefins; propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, and isobutylene. MTFA (purity above 98%) was synthesized by method described in literature. Reagent grade ..cap alpha..-olefins were used. An equimolar mixture of MTFA and ..cap alpha..-olefin was charged into the reactor. Trace amounts of oxygen were purged by the freeze-thaw technique. Irradiation was carried out with gamma rays from a /sup 60/Co source under vapor pressure of the monomers at 25/sup 0/C. The product was precipitated and washed with methanol to remove unreacted monomers, and dried under vacuum at 60/sup 0/C. Infrared spectra of the copolymers were measured; compositions were determined from elemental analysis. Reactivity of the ..cap alpha..-olefins appears to be related to the electron density at the double bond. All copolymers were found to have almost equimolar compositions and were soluble in polar solvents such as tetrahydrofuran and acetone. Copolymerization was inhibited completely by the addition of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrihydrazil, but not by water, indicating that the copolymerization proceeds via a radical mechanism. 1 table; 2 figures.