Vulcanization of a Fluoroelastomer Derived from Tetrafluoroethylene and Propylene

Abstract

Abstract An effective vulcanization recipe for tetrafluoroethylene-propylene elastomer was searched for and the following results were obtained: (1) The C 2 F 4 -C 3 H 6 copolymer is susceptible only to peroxide and is not crosslinked at all by other reagents. (2) The peroxide vulcanization is greatly accelerated by some coagents, and triallyl isocyanurate was found to be the best cure promoter. (3) The vulcanizate obtained by using a combination of α,α′- bis -( t -butyl-peroxy)- p -diisopropylbenzene with triallyl isocyanurate as curative exhibits good mechanical properties together with excellent heat and chemical resistance. (4) The mechanism of the vulcanization reactions seems to involve a chain reaction which greatly increases the efficiency of the vulcanization reaction by the peroxide.