Thin Solid Films, Vol.390, No.1-2, 159-164, 2001
Stabilization of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by plasma copolymerization with hydrocarbon monomers
We carried out the plasma copolymerization of CFCs (trichlorofluorocarbon) and PFC (perfluorocarbon) with C-2 hydrocarbons. For the purposes of improving the recovery rate of the copolymerization process, we developed a cascade-type plasma reaction system. The reaction system was equipped with a maximum of 12 reaction tubes, each with an internal diameter of 32 mm and 390 mm in length. In the copolymerization experiments using the cascade type plasma reaction system, the CFC recovery rate reached a level of 95%, which represents a vast improvement of the 30-40% recovery rate previously achieved with parallel plate and tubular reaction systems. We found that when performing plasma copolymerization of hydrocarbons and CFCs, which contain chlorine and fluorine, the results varied, depending on the dwell time in the reactor. The level of importance of the parameters that influence the recovery rate could be ranked as follows: CFC/hydrocarbon mixing ratio > RF power > reactor pressure. When the CFC/hydrocarbon mole ratio is CFC-113: C2H4 = 1:1, the recovery rate reaches the maximum level where 95% of the CFCs are recovered in the form of copolymers and related substances.