A fluoropolymer is a fluorocarbon-based polymer with multiple carbon–fluorine bonds. It is characterized by a high resistance to solvents, acids, and bases. The best known fluoropolymer is polytetrafluoroethylene under the brand name "Teflon," trademarked by the DuPont Company.
History
In 1938, polytetrafluoroethylene (DuPont brand name Teflon) was discovered by accident by a recently hired DuPont Ph.D., Roy J. Plunkett. While working with tetrafluoroethylene gas to develop refrigerants, he noticed that a previously pressurized cylinder had no pressure remaining. In dissecting the cylinder, he found a mass of white solid in a quantity similar to that of the tetrafluoroethylene gas. It was determined that this material was a new-to-the-world polymer. Tests showed the substance was resistant to corrosion from most acids, bases and solvents and had better high temperature stability than any other plastic. By early 1941, a crash program was making substantial quantities of PTFE for the Manhattan Project.1234
Properties
Fluoropolymers share the properties of fluorocarbons in that they are not as susceptible to the van der Waals force as hydrocarbons. This contributes to their non-stick and friction reducing properties. Also, they are stable due to the stability multiple carbon–fluorine bonds add to a chemical compound. Fluoropolymers may be mechanically characterized as thermosets or thermoplastics. Fluoropolymers can be homopolymers or Copolymer.
Examples of monomers used to prepare fluoropolymers
- Perfluorocycloalkene (PFCA)
- Ethylene (Ethene, E)
- Vinyl fluoride (fluoroethylene) (VF1)
- Vinylidene fluoride (1,1-difluoroethylene) (VDF or VF2)
- Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE)
- Chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE)
- Propylene (Propene, P)
- Hexafluoropropylene (HFP)
- Perfluoropropylvinylether (PPVE)
- Perfluoromethylvinylether (PMVE)
Examples of fluoropolymers
| Fluoropolymer | Trade names | Monomers | Melting point (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PVF (polyvinylfluoride) | Tedlar5 | VF1 | 2006 |
| PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) | Kynar7 Solef8 Hylar9 | VF2 | 175 |
| PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) | Sold by AGC under the tradename Fluon PTFE; Sold by Dupont and Chemours Company under the tradename Teflon; sold by Solvay Specialty Polymers under the tradenames Algoflon Hyflon and Polymist; sold by Daikin under the tradename Polyflon | TFE | 327 |
| PCTFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene) | Kel-F (3M), Neoflon (Daikin), Voltalef 10 (Arkema) | CTFE | 22011 |
| PFA, MFA12 (perfluoroalkoxy polymer) | Sold by AGC under the tradename Fluon PFA. Sold by DuPont under the tradename Teflon-PFA. Sold by Solvay Specialty Polymers under the tradename Hyflon.13 Neoflon (Daikin) | PPVE + TFE | 305 |
| FEP (fluorinated ethylene-propylene) | Sold by DuPont under the tradename Teflon FEP. Also known as Neoflon (Daikin) and Hyflon | HFP + TFE | 260 |
| ETFE (polyethylenetetrafluoroethylene) | Sold by AGC under the trade name of FluonETFE14 Tefzel,;15 sold by Daikin under the tradename Neoflon | TFE + E | 265 |
| ECTFE (polyethylenechlorotrifluoroethylene) | Halar16 sold by Solvay Specialty Polymers | CTFE + E | |
| FFPM/FFKM (Perfluorinated Elastomer [Perfluoroelastomer]) | Kalrez.17 Tecnoflon PFR18 DAI-EL (Daikin) | ||
| FPM/FKM (Fluoroelastomer [Vinylidene Fluoride based copolymers]) | Viton,19 Tecnoflon FKM, DAI-EL (Daikin), Fluonox (Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited) | ||
| FEPM (Fluoroelastomer [Tetrafluoroethylene-Propylene]) | Sold by AGC under the trade name of AFLAS,20 | TFE + P | |
| PFPE (Perfluoropolyether) | Sold by DuPont under the tradename Krytox.21 Sold by Solvay Specialty Polymers S.p.A. as Fomblin and Galden | ||
| PFSA (Perfluorosulfonic acid) | Nafion | ||
| Perfluoropolyoxetane |
Typical properties
| Property | Method No. | Units | PTFE | FEP | PFA | ETFE | ECTFE | PCTFE | PVDF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specific gravity | D792 | - | 2.17 | 2.15 | 2.15 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.15 | 1.78 |
| Yield strength | D638 | MPa | 10 | 12 | 15.5 | 24 | 31 | 40 | 46 |
| Yield strength | D638 | PSI | 1,450 | 1,740 | 2,250 | 3,480 | 4,500 | 5,800 | 6,670 |
| Elongation | % | 200-500 | 250-350 | 300 | 200-500 | 200-300 | 80-250 | 20-150 | |
| Tensile modulus | D638 | MPa | 600 | 500 | 700 | 1500 | 1655 | 1500 | 2400 |
| Tensile modulus | D638 | ksi | 87 | 72.5 | 101.5 | 217.5 | 240 | 218 | 348 |
| Hardness | D2240 | Shore D | 60 | 57 | 62 | 75 | 75 | 90 | 79 |
| HDT, @ 66 PSI | D648 | °F | 250 | 158 | 164 | 219 | 240 | 248 | 300 |
| HDT, @ 264 PSI | D648 | °F | 122 | 129 | 118 | 160 | 169 | - | 239 |
| Limiting oxygen index | D2863 | % | >95 | >95 | >95 | 30-36 | |||
| Dielectric constant | D150 | 1 MHz | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.6 |
See also
- Organofluorine
- Organohalogen
- Fluorosurfactant
- Perfluorocycloalkene (PFCA)
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
References
Iddon, Brian (1985). The Magic of Chemistry. Eastleigh:BDH. pp. 10–11. ISBN 0-9500439-6-6. 0-9500439-6-6 ↩
Kirsch, Peer (2004). "Fluorine". Modern Fluoroorganic Chemistry: Synthesis, reactivity, applications. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 3–10. ISBN 978-3-527-30691-6. Retrieved 2011-05-07. 978-3-527-30691-6 ↩
Hounshell, David A.; Smith, John Kenly (1988). Science and Corporate Strategy: DuPont R&D, 1902–1980. Cambridge University Press. pp. 147, 156–57, 482–484. ISBN 0-521-32767-9. 0-521-32767-9 ↩
Okazoe, Takashi (2009). "Overview on the history of organofluorine chemistry from the viewpoint of material industry". Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B. 85 (8): 276–89. Bibcode:2009PJAB...85..276O. doi:10.2183/pjab.85.276. PMC 3621566. PMID 19838009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621566 ↩
Tedlar is a registered trademark of DuPont ↩
Christopher C. Ibeh (2011). THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS Properties, Manufacturing Methods, and Applications. CRC Press. pp. 491–497. ISBN 978-1-4200-9383-4. 978-1-4200-9383-4 ↩
Kynar is a registered trademark of Arkema, Inc. ↩
Solef is a registered trademark of Solvay specialty polymers S.p.A. ↩
Hylar is a registered trademark of Solvay specialty polymers S.p.A. ↩
"PCTFE plastic (polytetrafluoroethylene) - SPN technical plastic manufacturer". DEMGY Plastiques SPN. Retrieved 2022-03-07. https://www.plastiques-nobles.com/en/pctfe-ptfce-polychlorotrifluoroethylene/ ↩
Christopher C. Ibeh (2011). THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS Properties, Manufacturing Methods, and Applications. CRC Press. pp. 491–497. ISBN 978-1-4200-9383-4. 978-1-4200-9383-4 ↩
"Typical Properties of Fluropolymers". Fluoropolymer. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413131445/http://fluorotherm.com/Properties-Physical.asp ↩
Hyflon is a registered trademark of Solvay Solexis S.p.A. ↩
Fluon is a registered trademark of Asahi Glass Company /wiki/Asahi_Glass_Company ↩
Tefzel is a registered trademark of DuPont ↩
Halar is a registered trademark of Solvay Solexis S.p.A. ↩
Kalrez is a registered trademark of DuPont ↩
Tecnoflon is a registered trademark of Solvay Solexis S.p.A. /wiki/Solvay_Solexis ↩
Viton is a registered trademark of DuPont ↩
AFLAS is a registered trademark of AGC(Asahi Glass Co, Ltd.) ↩
Krytox is a registered trademark of DuPont ↩
"Typical Properties of Fluoropolymers". Fluorotherm. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-04-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413131445/http://fluorotherm.com/Properties-Physical.asp ↩