Patent ID: 8563670

Claim:
Process for polymerizing fluoromonomer in an aqueous medium in a polymerization reactor to form a dispersion of fluoropolymer particles in said aqueous medium, comprising (a) providing said aqueous medium in said reactor, (b) adding water-soluble hydrocarbon compound that contains hydrophobic moiety and hydrophilic moiety to said aqueous medium, (c) degrading said hydrophilic moiety of said compound in said aqueous medium, thereby enabling said hydrophobic moiety to form a dispersion of oleophilic nucleation sites in said aqueous medium, said dispersion of oleophilic nucleation sites being essentially free of surfactant, (d) pressuring up said reactor with said fluoromonomer to the pressure at which said polymerizing is carried out, and (e) adding polymerization initiator to said aqueous medium to cause kicking off of said polymerizing of said fluoromonomer.