Science and Technology of Fluoropolymers

Course description
Time: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Location: 240 South Forge Street, Akron, Ohio 44325
Classroom 217 (Located inside the National Polymer Innovation Center)
Cost: $1000.00 USD
CEU's: 0.8
Instructor: Jiri Drobny

Course Overview

Fluoropolymers are defined as a family of thermoplastic resins and elastomers in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon chain are replaced by fluorine or fluorinated alkyl groups. In some cases, other halogens such as chlorine are also part of the molecule.

The chemistry of the majority of fluoropolymers is derived from compounds used in the refrigeration industry. The most common monomers used for the preparation of the known fluoropolymers are shown below. These can be combined to yield typically homopolymer, copolymers and terpolymers. The resulting products are thermoplastic resins or elastomers with unique properties not readily achievable by other polymeric materials such as chemical inertness, resistance to elevated temperatures, resistance to ultraviolet radiation, excellent weather resistance, excellent dielectric properties, flame resistance, hydrophobicity, and low coefficients of friction.      

In general, some material properties are strictly depending on the chemical substance under investigation; others depend on the processing operation, which determines the shape, dimensions and orientation within the material. Therefore the properties of individual polymers are essentially distinguished as physical, mechanical, thermal, and electrical. There are some other attributes that are important for specific polymers or classes of polymers, which may be optical properties, chemical properties, response to radiation, barrier properties, solubility, and thermal stability.

Instructor Biography:

Mr. Drobny is the President of Drobny Polymer Associates, an international consulting service. He was educated at the Prague Technical University in Chemical Engineering (processing of rubber and plastics), University of Akron in Polymer Science (physics and engineering of polymers), and Shippensburg State University in Business Administration (management and finance). He has more than 50 years of industrial experience in senior and executive responsibilities, with particular interest in fluoropolymer science and technology, thermoplastic elastomers, radiation technology, adhesives and coatings and rubber technology. He served as adjunct faculty in the Plastics Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and presented lectures at national and international conferences. Mr. Drobny is the author of several books and chapters and coauthor of several US and European patents.