EXCELLENT OXIDATIVE AND THERMAL STABILITIES

EXFLUOR RESEARCH CORPORATION HAS DEVELOPED GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR PREPARING HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT PERFLUOROALKYL ETHER ELASTOMERIC POLYMERS. ONE PROCEDURE CONSISTS OF FIRST SYNTHESIZING THE HYDROCARBON ANALOGUE OF THE DESIRED PERFLUORO COMPOUND FOLLOWED BY REPLACEMENT OF THE HYDROGEN WITH FLUORINE USING A CONTROLLED REACTION WITH ELEMENTAL FLUORINE. THIS PROCEDURE ALLOWS ONE TO PREPARE FLUOROCARBON DERIVATIVES OF ESSENTIALLY ANY HYDROCARBON POLYMER OR MOLECULE. A SECOND BUT VERY IMPORTANT GENERAL PROCEDURE INVOLVES FLUORINATION OF LINEAR POLYESTERS, FOLLOWED BY CONVERSION OF THE LINEAR PERFLUOROPOLYESTER TO A PERFLUOROPOLYETHER USING SF(4). SPECIAL ADVANTAGES OF THIS TECHNOLOGY INCLUDE UNIQUE CAPABILITIES TO PREPARE HIGHLY BRANCHED PERFLUOROPOLYETHER SYSTEMS AND THE ABILITY TO GENERATE STRUCTURES HAVING MORE THAN TWO CARBON ATOMS (ANY NUMBER IS POSSIBLE) BETWEEN OXYGEN IN THE CENTRAL CHAIN OF THE POLYETHER. SEVERAL KEY POLYMERS, EACH WITH A UNIQUE STRUCTURE, WILL BE SYNTHESIZED. ATTEMPTS WILL BE MADE TO MOLD THESE POLYMERS INTO FILMS USING HIGH PRESSURES AND ELEVATED TEMPERATURES.