Composites based on fluoropolymers and a method for their processing into products

Polymer composite materials based on fluoropolymers and silica gel, as well as a method for their processing into products, have been developed. The feasibility of using polytetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer, and polyvinylidene fluoride as fillers has been established. Based on the heterogeneity coefficient values of the obtained polymer compositions, it was determined that the distribution quality of silica gel in fluoropolymers using the conventional mixing method in a high-speed mechanical mixer is moderate. To improve this, a method for obtaining polymer composites based on fluoropolymers and silica gel has been proposed, involving the in situ combination of the initial polymer composite components during the filler synthesis process. The polymer composites obtained using this method demonstrate 55–60% better distribution quality than those produced by the conventional approach. The basic physicomechanical properties (density, yield stress, compressive modulus, and hardness) of the developed polymer composites were determined, revealing a clear correlation between these properties and the quality of silica gel distribution in fluoropolymers. Specifically, materials obtained via the in situ combination method exhibit physicomechanical property levels that are 5–20% higher than those of composites produced using the standard processing technique.