The radiation-induced copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene and styrene at high pressure

The radiation-induced copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene (A) and styrene (B) was studied in bulk and in perfluorotoluene at 22°C at autogenous pressure and 260 and 510 MPa. The reactivity ratio for addition to A-ended radicals, r_A, is effectively zero at the two lower pressures and is in the range 0.002–0.008 at 510 MPa. The other reactivity ratio, r_B, is 6 at autogenous pressure and also at 260 and 510 MPa if the A content of the charge is less than 50%. If the A content is greater than 95%, r_B appears to be 100 at pressures of 260 and 510 MPa. The apparent variation in r_B cannot be explained by invoking a penultimate unit effect for B-ended radicals. Polymerization rates scatter somewhat, but all rates are quite small when the A content of the charge is in the range 95–99.8%. Polymers containing as much as 66% A appear to be inherently benzene soluble but frequently contain some gel because of radiation-induced crosslinking after their formation. No very high polymers were formed that contained more than a few percent A, even at high pressure. Features that complicated the study were immiscibility of the liquid monomers, extreme variation of the monomer—copolymer compatibility with charge composition, and freezing of B at high pressure.