Patent ID: 7247690

Claim:
A process for producing a melt-fabricable, tough copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether in a suspension polymerization process comprising: copolymerizing tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether in a pressurized, agitated reaction vessel which contains aqueous medium, water-soluble free radical initiator, and a telogen, said aqueous medium being essentially free of fluorine containing organic solvent, said process employing fluorinated vinyl ether in an amount sufficient to produce melt-fabricable tough copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether containing from about 1 to about 20 weight % fluorinated vinyl ether; agitating the contents of said reaction vessel during said copolymerizing to coagulate copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated vinyl ether; and isolating said melt-fabricable, tough copolymer having a melt viscosity of less than about 1×10 6 Pa·S directly from said reaction vessel.