Recycling of waste solid ionomer components

Abstract

A method of forming an ionomer blend during a process of recycling waste solid ionomer material comprising: heating the waste solid ionomer material in a solvent to disperse the waste solid ionomer material; and mixing ionomer from the waste solid ionomer material with a second ionomer material to co-mingle ionomer from the waste solid ionomer material with ionomer from the second ionomer material forming a co-mingled ionomer blend during the process of recycling the waste solid ionomer material. Further the waste ionomer material may be mixed with the second ionomer material before heating in the solvent to directly form a co-mingled ionomer blend during the step of dispersing the first ionomer material. The first ionomer material may be formed from a fluorinated polymer comprising a fluorinated polymer backbone and a plurality of groups of formula SO3Z wherein Z is hydrogen or a cation, optionally a metal or quaternary ammonium cation.

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