| Abstract: | In the radiation-induced emulsion copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene with propylene, the dose rate dependence, the effect of emulsifier concentration, and the effect of monomer composition were studied. The rate of polymerization was proportional to the 0.90 power of the dose rate and the 0.26 power of the emulsifier concentration. The degree of polymerization was independent of the dose rate and the emulsifier concentration. Both the rate of polymerization and the degree of polymerization increased with tetrafluoroethylene content in the monomer mixture. The resulting copolymer was an alternating polymer over a wide range of monomer composition. It was concluded from the dose rate dependence of the rate of polymerization that the emulsion copolymerization is mainly terminated by degradative chain transfer of the propagating radical to propylene. |
