-rays radiation-induced homopolymerization of trifluorovinyl heptafluoropropyl ether

Narita, Tadashi*; Enomoto, Kazuyuki*; Maekawa, Yasunari; Yoshida, Masaru; Ichikawa, Mitsuru*; Hamana, Hiroshi*

Perfluorinated polymers have expected to be the key materials for fuel cell membranes owing to the high chemical stability, thermo-durability and optical property. However, a homopolymer of FVPE has never yielded under usual polymerization conditions and alternating copolymers with several non-fluorinated vinyl monomers have only been reported. Thus, using radiation-induced polymerization, in which initiating species (radicals) can be continuously produced, the polymerization of trifluorovinyl heptafluoropropyl ether (FVPE) was examined to afford high molecular weight polymers of FVPE. The formation of FVPE homopolymers was confirmed by NMR and IR spectroscopy.