Fluoropolymer resin treatment employing melt extrusion and exposure to oxygen source to reduce discoloration

1. Process for reducing thermally induced discoloration of melt-processible fluoropolymer resin polymerized in the presence of hydrocarbon surfactant which causes said thermally induced discoloration and wherein all of the monovalent substituents on the carbon atoms of the hydrocarbon surfactant are hydrogen, said fluoropolymer resin having an initial thermally induced discoloration value (L* i ) at least about 20 L units on the CIELAB color scale below the L* value of equivalent fluoropolymer resin of commercial quality manufactured using ammonium perfluorooctanoate fluorosurfactant, said process comprising:

polymerizing fluoromonomer in an aqueous dispersion medium in the presence of said hydrocarbon surfactant to form aqueous fluoropolymer dispersion;

isolating said fluoropolymer from said aqueous dispersion medium to obtain said fluoropolymer resin;

melt extruding said fluoropolymer resin to produce molten fluoropolymer resin; and

exposing said molten fluoropolymer resin to an oxygen source during said melt extruding.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said process reduces thermally induced discoloration by at least about 10% as measured by % change in L* on the CIELAB color scale.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said oxygen source is air, oxygen rich air, or ozone containing gas.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the fluoropolymer resin is heated to a temperature above its melting point up to a heating temperature of about 400° C.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said melt extruding is carried out in a melt extruder having at least one high shear section and molten fluoropolymer resin is exposed to said oxygen source in said high shear section.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said exposing of fluoropolymer resin to an oxygen source during said melt extruding is carried out in multiple stages.