Patent ID: 8378063

Claim:
A process for producing fluoropolymer particles, comprising: preparing a solution or dispersion comprising a fluoropolymer dissolved or dispersed in a first solvent comprising a solvent which causes the fluoropolymer to swell in a degree of exceeding 50% such that the degree of swelling of the fluoropolymer by the first solvent is in a range of from 50 to 1,200% in the solution or dispersion; and mixing the solution or dispersion with a second solvent comprising a solvent which causes the fluoropolymer to swell in a degree of at most 50% such that the fluoropolymer is flocculated and forms fluoropolymer particles and the degree of swelling of the fluoropolymer by a mixture of the first solvent and second solvent is from 0 to 100% in the solution or dispersion, wherein the first solvent and second solvent satisfy W C /W B in a range of from 1 to 5 where W B represents a mass of the first solvent, W C represents a mass of the second solvent, W C /W B is a ratio of the mass of the second solvent to the mass of the first solvent, and the first solvent and second solvent satisfy S BC /S B of at most 0.5 where S BC represents the degree of swelling of the fluoropolymer by the mixture of the first solvent and second solvent, S B represents the degree of swelling of the fluoropolymer by the first solvent, and S BC /S B represents a ratio of the degree of swelling by the mixture of the first solvent and second solvent to the degree of swelling by the first solvent.