Ethylene–chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymers. I. Synthesis and evaluation of compositions resistant to thermal stress cracking

Abstract Copolymerization of ethylene, chlorotrifluoroethylene, and small amounts (less than 5 mol %) of a perfluoroalkylethylene yields terpolymers in which the concentration ratio of the ethylenederived units to the units derived from the fluorine‐containing monomers is unity, indicating that the perfluoroalkylethylenes are incorporated at the expense of chlorotrifluoroethylene. The resulting polymer compositions are characterized by improved resistance to thermal stress cracking.