Solvay Specialty Polymers Italy S.p.a.

Laura Ponta

Giulio Brinati

Mattia Bassi

Bradley Lane Kent

Valeriy Kapelyushko

Giovanni Comino

Marco Dossi

Fiorenza D'Aprile

Dong-Cheol Choe

Min-Soo Yoon

The present invention relates to a fluorosurfactant-free emulsion polymerization method for the synthesis of a fluoropolymer, more in particular of a VDF-based polymer.

Method for the synthesis of fluoropolymers

The invention pertains to a method for emulsion polymerization of at least one fluoromonomer, said method comprising: (i) providing at least one aqueous emulsion comprising at least one surfactant and a monomer mixture [mixture (M)] comprising at least one fluoromonomer [monomer (F)] and optionally at least one additional monomer, and at least one RAFT/MADIX agent; (ii) initiating the polymerization of said monomer mixture in said aqueous emulsion adding at least one radical initiator; (iii) continuing the polymerization by adding additional amounts of said mixture (M) and said RAFT/MADIX agent, until converting the targeted amount of said mixture (M), and (iv) terminating the polymerization and recovering a latex of fluoropolymer [polymer (F)]; wherein the amount of RAFT/MADIX agent is comprised between 0.1 and 0.5% moles, with respect to the total amount of converted monomers of said monomer mixture, and wherein the amount of said RAFT/MADIX agent present in the aqueous emulsion when initiating the polymerization in step (ii) is of at most 50% with respect to the total amount of said RAFT/MADIX agent.

Method for the controlled polymerization of fluoromonomers

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Milan, Italy

Laura Ponta