A fluoroelastomer is a
fluorocarbon
Fluorocarbons are chemical compounds with carbon-fluorine bonds. Compounds that contain many C-F bonds often have distinctive properties, e.g., enhanced stability, volatility, and hydrophobicity. Several fluorocarbons and their derivatives are ...
-based
synthetic rubber
A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About of rubber is produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubber, just like natural ru ...
. Fluoroelastomers generally have wide chemical resistance.
Composition
Several compositions of fluoroelastomers exist including
FKM (by ASTM D1418 standard, equivalent to FPM by ISO/DIN 1629 standard); perfluoro-elastomers (
FFKM); and tetrafluoro ethylene/propylene rubbers (
FEPM).
Performance
The performance of fluoroelastomers in aggressive chemicals depends on the nature of the base polymer and the compounding ingredients used for moulding the final products (e.g. O-rings, shaft seals). This performance can vary significantly when end-users purchase polymer-containing rubber goods from different sources. Fluoroelastomers are generally compatible with hydrocarbons, but incompatible with
ketone
In organic chemistry, a ketone is an organic compound with the structure , where R and R' can be a variety of carbon-containing substituents. Ketones contain a carbonyl group (a carbon-oxygen double bond C=O). The simplest ketone is acetone ( ...
s such as
acetone
Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone) is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly Volatile organic compound, volatile, and flammable liquid with a charact ...
and organic acids such as
acetic acid
Acetic acid , systematically named ethanoic acid , is an acidic, colourless liquid and organic compound with the chemical formula (also written as , , or ). Vinegar is at least 4% acetic acid by volume, making acetic acid the main compone ...
.
References
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External links
Properties of Elastomers - Chemical Resitancelist(PDF; 0,6 MB)
Designing with Fluoroelastomers(PDF; 0,8 MB)
Fluoropolymers
Elastomers