Patent ID: 6881784

Claim:
A method for producing submicron polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) powder comprising the following steps: (a) selecting a PTFE starting material; (b) irradiating said PTFE starting material at an intensity of from about 5 to about 120 megarads; (c) adding the irradiated PTFE starting material to a solvent to form a mixture; (d) grinding and/or de-agglomerating said mixture of said irradiated PTFE starting material and said solvent until the PTFE particles are submicron in size, wherein more than about 50% of said PTFE particles are less than 1.00 μm in size; (e) recovering said PTFE particles from said ground and/or de-agglomerated mixture of said irradiated PTFE starting material and said solvent; (f) drying the recovered PTFE particles; (g) powdering the recovered, dried PTFE particles, wherein a dry PTFE powder results having an average agglomerate PTFE particle size of from about less than 1.00 μm to about 100 μm, and wherein said dry PTFE powder is readily dispersible, in a desired application system, so that more than about 50% of the PTFE particles are below 1.00 μm in size when said dry PTFE powder is dispersed in a desired application system.