Film‐forming process from globular polytetrafluoroethylene latex particles

Film formation from an aqueous polytetrafluoroethylene (p‐TFE) latex dispersion on glass tissues was studied. The p‐TFE particles were of globular shape, had a diameter of 220 ± 20 nm, and were of high crystallinity (∼ 100%). The melting point of the material was 332°C. For the study of the film formation, stripes of glass tissues were dipped in a concentrated p‐TFE latex dispersion and then removed. The samples were then dried in an oven at well‐defined temperatures below and above the melting temperature T m of the p‐TFE latex. The film formation from the particles was then studied by taking SEM micrographs of the surface of the samples at various times and conditions. It was observed that the globular particles kept their globular shape and did not coalesce to a film as long as the temperature of the sample was kept below T m . When the samples were tempered with T > T m the film formation started. The neighboring globular particles coalesced into wormlike particles that grew in length with time. During the growth of the particles the thickness of the particles remained constant. In the first stages the film can be imagined as a porous network from short wormlike objects. It is concluded that the coalescence begins above T m when the polymer chains become mobile along their axis. The chains of neighboring particles can therefore interdigitate into each other along their main axis and crosslink the particles. The proposed mechanism of film formation is confirmed by AFM micrographs on which the individual particles from the dispersion are still visible in the wormlike objects. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 733–742, 2004