Employing polyalkylene oxides for nucleation in aqueous polymerization of fluoromonomer

1. Process for polymerizing fluoromonomer to form an aqueous dispersion of fluoropolymer particles comprising:

(a) providing an aqueous medium in a polymerization reactor,

(b) adding nucleating additive comprising polyalkylene oxide having a number average molecular weight of about 50 to about 2000 to said aqueous medium in an amount of about 0.1 ppm to about 50 ppm based on water in said aqueous medium, wherein said polyalkylene oxide has a surface tension in water of greater than 40 dynes/cm at a concentration of 1000 ppm,

(c) exposing said nucleating additive to oxidizing agent to form a dispersion of oleophilic nucleation sites in said aqueous medium;

(d) pressurizing said reactor by adding fluoromonomer, and

(e) adding polymerization initiator to said aqueous medium to cause said polymerizing of said fluoromonomer to form fluoropolymer particles dispersed in said aqueous medium.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said nucleating additive has a number average molecular weight of about 100 to about 1500.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said nucleating additive is a compound of the formula:

X—[O—R 1 ] n —O—Y

wherein R 1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene group having 1-4 carbon atoms; X and Y are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, acrylate, and methacrylate; and n is 1 to 50.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said process produces a dispersion of perfluoropolymer particles.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said perfluoropolymer of said perfluoropolymer particles is selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, modified polytetrafluoroethyene, and melt-fabricable copolymer comprising 40-99 mol % tetrafluoroethylene units and 1-60 mol % of at least one other fluoromonomer.

6. The process of claim 1 further comprising adding water-soluble inorganic salt to said aqueous medium prior to or during said exposing of said nucleating additive to oxidizing agent.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said water-soluble inorganic salt is selected from sodium sulfite and ammonium sulfite.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein said nucleating additive further comprises hydrocarbon-containing surfactant in an amount of about 0.1 ppm to about 50 ppm based on water in said aqueous medium.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein said hydrocarbon-containing surfactant is hydrocarbon surfactant.

10. The process of claim 1 further comprising adding stabilizing surfactant to said aqueous medium to stabilize said dispersion of fluoropolymer particles.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein said stabilizing surfactant is hydrocarbon-containing surfactant.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein said stabilizing surfactant is hydrocarbon surfactant.

13. The process of claim 11 wherein the adding of stabilizing surfactant is delayed until after polymerizing has commenced.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein the adding of stabilizing surfactant is delayed until after the concentration of said fluoropolymer particles in said aqueous medium is at least about 0.6 wt %.

15. The process of claim 11 wherein said stabilizing surfactant is added over time as polymerizing is carried out.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein no halogen-containing surfactant is added to the aqueous medium.

17. The process of claim 1 wherein said oxidizing agent is polymerization initiator.