DISSOLVING POLY(TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE) IN LOW-BOILING HALOCARBONS

An apparatus and methodology are described for dissolving poly(tetrafl uoroethylene) in relatively low boiling perhalocarbons at temperatures as high as 330 degrees C and up to about 20 MPa pressure. Cloud point s are reported for these solutions with the following solvents: n-perf luorohexane, perfluorodecalin, Freon(R) 113 (1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-tri fluoroethane) and Fluorinert(R) FC-75 (a perfluorocarbon ether). Most of the solutions were studied above the critical temperatures of their solvents. (C) 1995 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.