Direct fluorination of poly-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide in perfluorinated liquid medium

[Display omitted] •Powder of poly-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide was fluorinated using gaseous fluorine in the liquid perfluorinated medium.•Two different types of fluorinated polymers were obtained.•The fluorinated polymers were tested by DSC and ATR-FTIR, 13C, 19F NMR spectroscopy and their structure was ascertain. Ultra-disperse powder of poly-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide (PPO) was fluorinated using elemental fluorine in a gas-liquid bubble reactor. For characterization of the obtained fluorinated products ATR-FTIR and 1H, 19F and 13C NMR spectroscopy and DSC were used. The concentration of fluorine in the mixture with inert gas affected directly the rate of PPO fluorination and, herewith an increase of the temperature of fluorination in the range of 20–90 °C resulted in a growth of the rate only by factor 1.1–1.6. Two different types of fluorinated polymers were obtained: partly fluorinated PPO (“first generation”) and fully fluorinated substance with the structure similar to poly(perfluorocyclohexenyl ether) (“second generation”).