Arkema Inc. and Polymer Engineering Company Ltd. have developed the capability to blend high-performance Kynar Flex PVDF with various types of rubber. The combination of a thermoplastic fluoropolymer with rubber materials allows melt processing through chemical compatibilization and vulcanization. The capability to create various fluoropolymer and rubber combinations results in products that have a range of properties provided by each respective component.
Kynar Flex PVDF fluoropolymers impart high chemical resistance, resistance to swelling, UV resistance, high heat stability, high contact angle, and good release properties. Rubbers can impart a range of other favorable properties such as impact strength, flexibility, strain recovery, electrical resistance, lightweight, softness, and compressibility. The final combination of properties can be tailored by the selection of the base fluoropolymer and the rubber, or combinations of rubbers, which will determine overall cost and performance.
These blends of Kynar Flex PVDF and rubber can be extruded into profiles and/or injection and compression molded at temperatures similar to polyolefin thermoplastics.
“Many industries, such as the fuel and chemicals sectors, are challenged by changes that occur related to regulation modifications and technology-related upgrades,” said Marek Gnatowski Ph.D., president, Polymer Engineering Company. “Materials of construction that may have been previously considered reliable for long-term service in 2015 are then determined to be no longer suitable as the contact chemicals are altered for future use. The ability to blend rubber with a high-performance fluoropolymer allows the system designer to keep the friendly properties of rubber without early cracking or swelling failures in service.”
Arkema Inc. and Polymer Engineering Company can provide manufacturing guidance for processors interested in offering blends of Kynar Flex PVDF and rubber in applications such as tubing, hose, gaskets, O-rings, films, linings, wire insulation, cable jacketing, and molded structural parts. Due to the lower melting point associated with PVDF, compared to other fluoropolymer materials, these blends can be easily processed on standard equipment with minimal or no additional investment.
Kynar Flex is a registered trademark of Arkema Inc.