Processes of wetting hydrophobic fluoropolymer separators

摘要

Hydrophobic polymeric separators are made wettable to electrolytic cell fluids by a post-manufacturing process of treating with fluorinated surface-active agents. The application of a hydrophilic film of fluorosurfactant onto separator surfaces followed by drying renders the separator permanently wettable. The hydrophilic surfaces rendered inert by drying are reactivated in-situ after installation of the separator by contacting the separator surfaces with heated aqueous solution. The pre-installation process provides a convenient means for shipping fully manufactured separators and for their storage by users until actually needed. From an operational standpoint, the pre-installation process eliminates fouling of the cell with foam occurring with conventional in-situ wetting procedures.