Method of treating fluoropolymer particles and the products thereof

Abstract

Fluoropolymer particles are subjected to high energy treatment so as to change the chemical functionality of the particle surfaces and thereby change the surface characteristics of the particles. These characteristics improve the usefulness of these particles and can make them highly dispersible, even in water. The surface treated fluoropolymer particles are subject to a chemical crosslinking process, or alternatively, are subject to a high energy treatment process, and may optionally be pretreated with a macromolecular chemical species prior to the foregoing processes. The high energy treatment can be used to both surface treat the fluoropolymer particles and in some embodiments, may also cause chain scission of the fluoropolymers to thereby reduce the molecular weight of the fluoropolymer particles. The surface treated fluoropolymer particles can be used to form fluoropolymer coatings on various substrates.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications

[0002] This application is a continuation-in-part of US Patent Application Serial No. 10 / 128,185, filed April 23,2002. technical field

[0003] This invention relates to fluoropolymers. More specifically, the present invention relates to the production of novel fluoropolymers using high energy sources to immobilize macromolecules on the surface of fluoropolymer particles and / or to modify the molecular weight of fluoropolymer particles. Background technique

[0004] Fluoropolymers, here broadly defined as any fluorine-containing polymer (or inert polymer), including homopolymers, copolymers and terpolymers having a non-wettable and chemically inert surface, non-wettable And chemically inert surfaces, while desirable in some applications, limit the usefulness of these substances in others.

[0005] Based on the physical form of powder and latex fluoropolymers, the art of coating articles with fluoropolymers has developed alon...

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