Microstructural Characterization and Development of Crystalline Morphology of Polytetrafluoroethylene Due to the Gadolinium Addition

Teflon materials have been successfully synthesized by solid state process using Teflon and Gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) as a new inorganic material. Powder samples having 1% and 5% Gd2O3 were annealed at 500 ℃ temperature for 2 h and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of sintering temperature and concentration of Gd2O3 on the phase evolution of the prepared sample have been discussed in detail. The pure orthorhombic phase of Gd2O3 was completely developed in annealed sample having 1% Gd2O3. Moreover, developments of the grain size, micro-strain and volume of tetrafluoroethylene and tetrafluoroethylene doped by Gadolinium with various percentage were reported during our investigation. The average nanocrystallite size was calculated which is about 2 nm using the W-H equation method. A clear relationship was identified between processing, structure and properties.