The chemistry of Perlast®

A perfluoroelastomer backbone comprises of long chains of carbon atoms, covalently bonded to fluorine atoms. The high bond strength, together with the relatively large size of fluorine atoms and the symmetry of the chain, produce a high resistance to thermal and chemical attack. To achieve elastomeric properties, the backbones are cross-linked together.

Perlast is a perfluoroelastomer with a fully fluorinated carbon backbone, highly fluorinated cross-linking and a fully fluorinated organic-filler system. The unique cross-linking system employed in all Perlast material grades ensures compatibility against virtually all chemicals. The molecular structure of Perlast perfluoroelastomers is very similar to PTFE providing excellent thermal stability and chemical resistance.

All perfluoroelastomer materials are not equal
All Perlast grades are manufactured using the latest, most advanced polymerization techniques. A specially-developed polymerization process, unique to Perlast, offers complete facet control of the cross-linking. This includes key characteristics such as the cross-link density, network stability and critically, the position of the cross-links within the polymer structure.

The result is an advanced perfluoroelastomer structure in which the mechanical and chemical resistance properties are carefully engineered to provide optimal performance. By closely controlling the density of the highly fluorinated symmetrical cross-links, the mechanical properties of Perlast materials are maximized, whilst the fluorination and symmetry provide exceptional chemical and temperature performance.

Other types of perfluoroelastomer have a cross-linking system generated by a random chemical reaction process which occurs during the vulcanization process. The random chemical nature of this reaction process can cause inconsistencies in performance, often encountered as process variation and unpredictable life-cycles.