Process for producing re-dispersable particles of highly fluorinated polymer

1. A process for producing flowable and liquid dispersible particles of a highly fluorinated ion exchange polymer, comprising:

providing a dispersion of a highly fluorinated ion exchange polymer in a liquid comprised of from 10 to 60 wt % of an organic liquid,

atomizing said dispersion to produce droplets of the dispersion,

releasing the dispersion droplets into a heated inert gas,

drying the dispersion droplets in the heated inert gas to produce polymer particles wherein the polymer particles agglomerate during drying, and the agglomerated particles have a mean diameter in the range of 1 to 100 microns and which agglomerated particles, upon drying, produce flowable particles of highly fluorinated ion exchange polymer wherein the flowable polymer particles have dry surfaces and an internal residual moisture content in the range of from 4 to 10 wt % of at least 4 wt %.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the inert gas is nitrogen.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the polymer particles have a mean diameter in the range of 10 to 50 microns.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the polymer particles have an internal residual moisture content in the range of 4 to 8 wt %.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the heated gas is contained within a drying, chamber at the time the dispersion droplets are released, said drying chamber having a chamber inlet through which the heated inert gas is introduced into the drying chamber and a chamber outlet through with the heated inert gas is discharged from the drying chamber, the temperature of the heated inert gas at the chamber inlet being in the range of 170 to 250° C.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the temperature of the heated gas at the chamber inlet is in the range of 170 to 210° C.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the temperature of the heated gas at the chamber outlet is in the range of 70 to 90° C.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the highly fluorinated ion exchange polymer is perfluorinated.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the highly fluorinated ion exchange polymer is perfluorosulfonic acid.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the dispersion of a highly fluorinated ion exchange polymer further comprises one or more additive, and wherein said additive is present in the polymer particles.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein the additive is a catalyst.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, gold, lanthanum, yttrium, gadolinium, silver, iron, cerium, titanium, vanadium, hafnium, tantalum, niobium, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and rhenium, and combinations thereof.

13. The process of claim 10 wherein the additive is a complex comprising:

a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titanium dioxide, zirconium oxide, germania, silica, and ceria, and combinations thereof,

a stabilizer selected from the group consisting of metal ions and metalloid ions, and combinations thereof, and

at least one catalyst different from the stabilizer selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, gold, lanthanum, yttrium, gadolinium, silver, iron, cerium, titanium, vanadium, hafnium, tantalum, niobium, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and rhenium, and combinations thereof.

14. The process of claim 10 wherein the additive is polyvinyl pyrrolidone.

15. The process of claim 10 wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of hydrophobic or hydrophilic particles, carbon black, electrically conductive polymers, pigments, talc, aramid polymers and fluoropolymers.