PRODUCING REACH-COMPLIANT PTFE ADDITIVES FOR COATINGS,INKS

摘要

PTFE resin is made by the polymerization of TFE(tetrafluoroethylene monomer)to very high molecular weight(MW),in the millions.Low MW PTFE micro-powders are typically made by the degradation of such high MW PTFE resin.Degradation may be affected by thermal or radiation-induced processes,where the backbone carbon-carbon bond is broken to form an active free radical.In such thermal or radiation-induced degradation processes,there is a random distribution of varying chain lengths,and some small percent of the molecules may be 8 carbons long.One chemical property of the 8-carbon fluorinated molecule is that the reactive radical group can combine with oxygen and moisture in the air to form a terminal carboxylic acid group.This group results in Per-Fluoro-Octanoic-Acid(PFOA).The concentration of PFOA in the process of making PTFE micro-powder may be in the range of parts per million.