Nonequilibrium plasma polymerization of HFC-134a in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor: Polymer characterization and a proposed mechanism for polymer formation

Nonequilibrium plasma polymerization of hydrofluorocarbon HFC-134a CF 3 CH 2 F in argon bath gas has been studied in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor at atmospheric pressure and in the absence of oxygen and nitrogen. The reaction resulted in the formation of a polymeric solid fraction and the noncrosslinked properties of this material assisted in its characterization by solution state 13C} and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Gel permeation chromatography revealed that the polymers include low (number average molecular weight, M n values between 900 and 3000g~mol -1 and high (M n approximately 60000 g~mol -1 molecular weight fractions. A detailed polymerization mechanism is proposed, based on the published literature and the findings of the current investigation.