Fluoropolymer produced by aqueous polymerization using dispersed particulate of fluorinated ionomer

1. A process for making an aqueous dispersion of fluoropolymer particles comprising:

providing dispersed solid particulate of fluorinated ionomer in an aqueous polymerization medium;

polymerizing at least one fluorinated monomer in said aqueous polymerization medium in the presence of said dispersed particulate of fluorinated ionomer and initiator to form the aqueous dispersion of particles of fluoropolymer, said fluoropolymer being nonionomeric fluoropolymer, wherein the amount of said dispersed particulate of fluorinated ionomer provided in said aqueous polymerization medium comprises less than about 1 wt % of said fluoropolymer solids produced in said aqueous dispersion.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said dispersed particulate of fluorinated ionomer has a weight average particle size of about 2 nm to about 100 nm.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer has an ion exchange ratio of about 3 to about 53.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer is highly fluorinated.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer is perfluorinated.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer comprises a polymer backbone with recurring side chains attached to the polymer backbone with the side chains carrying ionic groups.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer comprises ionic groups having a pKa less than about 10.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer comprises ionic groups selected from the group consisting of sulfonate, carboxylate, phosphonate, phosphate, and mixtures thereof.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer comprises sulfonate groups.

10. The process of claim 6 wherein said recurring side chains are represented by the formula

—(O—CF 2 CFR f ) a —(O—CF 2 ) b —(CFR′ f ) c SO 3 X,

wherein R f and R′ f are independently selected from F, Cl or a perfluorinated alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a=0 to 2, b=0 to 1, c=0 to 6, and X is H, Li, Na, K or NH 4 .

11. The process of claim 10 wherein said recurring side chain is represented by the formula —O—CF 2 CF(CF 3 )—O—CF 2 CF 2 SO 3 X is H, Li, Na, K or NH 4 .

12. The process of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated ionomer in thermoplastic form has a melt flow at 270° C. using a 5 kg weight of about 1 to about 500.

13. The process of claim 1 further comprising providing surfactant in said polymerization medium.

14. The process of claim 1 further comprising providing fluorosurfactant in said polymerization medium.

15. The process of claim 1 further comprising providing fluoroether surfactant in said polymerization medium.

16. The process of claim 15 wherein said fluorosurfactant has the formula:

[R 1 —O n -L-A − ]Y +

wherein:

R 1 is a linear or branched partially or fully fluorinated aliphatic group which may contain ether linkages;

n is 0 or 1;

L is a linear or branched alkylene group which may be nonfluorinated, partially fluorinated or fully fluorinated and which may contain ether linkages;

A − is an anionic group selected from the group consisting of carboxylate, sulfonate, sulfonamide anion, and phosphonate; and

Y + is hydrogen, ammonium or alkali metal cation;

with the proviso that the chain length of R 1 —O n -L- is not greater than 6 atoms.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein n is 1.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein

R 1 is CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 —;

L is —CF(CF 3 )—; and

A − is carboxylate; and

Y + is hydrogen or ammonium.

19. The process of claim 1 wherein said aqueous medium contains less than about 300 ppm of perfluoroalkane carboxylic acid or salt fluorosurfactant having 8 or more carbon atoms based on the weight of water in said aqueous polymerization medium.

20. The process of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing produces less than about 13 wt % undispersed fluoropolymer based on the total weight of fluoropolymer produced.

21. The process of claim 1 wherein said at least one fluorinated monomer is selected from the group consisting of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), hexafluoropropylene (HFP), chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE), trifluoroethylene, hexafluoroisobutylene, perfluoroalkyl ethylenes, fluorovinyl ethers, vinyl fluoride (VF), vinylidene fluoride (VF2), perfluoro-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxole (PDD), perfluoro-2- methylene-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane (PMD), perfluoro(allyl vinyl ether) and perfluoro(butenyl vinyl ether).

22. The process of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing of said at least one fluorinated monomer produces polytetrafluoroethylene or modified polytetrafluoroethylene having a comonomer content of no greater than about 1 wt %.

23. The process of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing of said at least one fluorinated monomer produces a melt-processible copolymer comprising at least about 60-98 wt % tetrafluoroethylene units and about 2-40 wt % of at least one other monomer.

24. The process of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing of said at least one fluorinated monomer produces a melt-processible copolymer containing functional groups which are precursors for ionic groups.

25. The process of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing of said at least one fluorinated monomer produces a fluorocarbon elastomer.

26. The process of claim 25 wherein said fluorocarbon elastomer copolymers comprise 25 to 70 wt %, based on total weight of the fluorocarbon elastomer, of copolymerized units of a first fluorinated monomer selected from the group consisting of vinylidene fluoride (VF2), tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), and mixtures thereof.

27. The process of claim 1 wherein providing said dispersed fluorinated ionomer particulate in said aqueous polymerization medium is performed by mixing a concentrated aqueous dispersion or dispersible powder of said fluorinated ionomer into said aqueous polymerization medium.