Fluorinated functionalized polymers

Abstract

Abstract A method is disclosed for fluorinating functionalized polymeric materials which contain pendant ester, carboxylic acid, acid halide or acid anhydride groups. Non-fluorinated or partially fluorinated polymers containing such pendant groups are placed in a direct fluorination apparatus and a mixture of elemental fluorine and an inert gas is passed over the material using La-Mar fluorination techniques. The polymer backbone is perfluorinated while the pendant groups are maintained or converted to acid fluoride groups; in either case, the pendant noncarboxylic acid groups are easily convertible to such acid groups by hydrolysis. These fluorinated functionalized polymers are useful, per se, as ion exchange membranes, solid electrolytes, conductive films, etc., and, in addition, various reactants can be tacked onto such fluorinated polymers thereby making them useful in many other applications.

Inventors

• 👤 Richard J. Lagow

Bibliographic Details