Abstract: | Emulsion copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and propylene (P) initiated by trilon-rongalite catalytic system containing tert-C4H9OH, initial monomer mixture, emulsifier (C7F15COONH4) concentration, and monomer mixture/water ratio on the polymerization rate (R) and molecular weight (M?n ) was investigated. Both R and M?n increased considerably with TFE content in monomer mixture up to 75 mol %. Alternating rubber-like copolymers in a wide range of initial monomer mixture (from 55–85 mol %) were obtained. The reactivity ratio was found to be rTFE = 0.005 ± 0.04 and rp = 0.17 ± 0.07. Above the critical miscelle concentration, the effects of the initiating system Is and emulsifier Cs on R and M?n were found to obey the following relations: according to which emulsion copolymerization proceeds by the I case of Smith-Ewart theory. Polymerization mechanism of the reaction studied was suggested. The copolymerization is mainly terminated by degradative chain transfer of the propagating radicals to propylene. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |