Polymer perfluorinated, chain scission

Most organic materials contain sites where radicals can form more or less easily, depending upon structure. Only perfluorinated molecules are totally free of such sites since radical formation usually involves abstraction of hydrogen radicals. Both the polymer and abstracted hydrogen radicals become stabilized by the intervention of oxygen. Degradation in the form of crosslinking, chain scission or both follows. The... 

Fully Fluorinated Polymers. The radiation chemistry of fully fluorinated polymers shows remarkable temperature dependence, with all of the fluorinated thermoplastics undergoing degradation, ie, chain scission, at ambient temperatures, but with an increasing yield of cross-linking reactions at elevated temperatures. Over the past 10 years, this has led to renewed interest in the radiation chemistry and applications of these materials (see Perfluorinated Polymers, Polytetrafluoroethylene). 

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