Synthesis of Polypropylene in a Octafluorobutane Medium

Abstract

This study investigates the feasibility of using 1,4H-octafluorobutane as a reaction medium for mild suspension polymerization of propylene using a Ziegler–Natta catalyst. The proposed approach enables propylene polymerization under mild conditions at near-room temperatures and atmospheric pressure. The resulting polypropylene has been characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and differential thermal analysis. The data obtained demonstrate that the synthesized polypropylene has a predominantly atactic structure. The basic advantage of the proposed approach is the reduction in fire and explosion hazards during propylene polymerization by conducting the reaction at atmospheric pressure, room temperature, and in a nonflammable solvent.