G. Kostov et al., Study of the microstructure and thermal properties of tetrafluoroethylene-propylene elastomers, EUR POLYM J, 35(4), 1999, pp. 743-749
Tetrafluoroethylene-propylene elastomers containing from II to 53 mol% tetr
afluoroethylene were prepared by emulsion copolymerization in batch operati
on. initiated by a redox system with tert-butylperoxybenzoate. Alternating
copolymers in a wide range of monomer compositions were obtained. The compo
sition curve has one azeotropic point at 46.7 mol% tetrafluoroethylene. The
reactivity ratio calculated from NMR and elemental analysis was found to b
e r(TFE) = 0.014 and r(P) = 0.18. Highly alternating structures of the copo
lymers synthesized were proved. Copolymer compositions calculated from NMR
spectra correspond to those obtained by elemental analysis. The thermal pro
perties were measured by DSC and TGA and discussed in connection with the c
opolymer structure. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.