Nafion is a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based fluoropolymer-copolymer discovered in the late 1960s by Walther Grot of DuPont. It is the first of a class of synthetic polymers with ionic properties which are called ionomers.his form of Nafion, referred to as the neutral or salt form, is finally converted to the acid form containing the sulfonic acid (-SO 3 H) groups. Nafion can be cast into thin films by heating in aqueous alcohol at 250 Â°C in an autoclave.
Some scientists have estimated that the krill in the ocean around Antarctica weigh more than the entire worldâs human population. The krill, rich in protein and fat, are food for large numbers of animals at the top of the food chain, including penguins, seals, and whales. Scientists studying the Antarctic marine ecosystem now know that its high productivity is confined to the edge of the sea ice and a few other areas, rather than everywhere in the Southern Ocean.
Much of the ocean around the mainland is covered by sea ice. Birds and seals mostly live near the edges of the continent. The oceans themselves are a more stable environment for life, both in the water column and on the seabed. There is relatively little diversity in Antarctica compared to much of the rest of the world.Flying birds nest on the milder shores of the Peninsula and the subantarctic islands. Eight species of penguins inhabit Antarctica and its offshore islands.ver 1000 fungi species have been found on and around Antarctica. Larger species are restricted to the subantarctic islands, and the majority of species discovered have been terrestrial. Plants are similarly restricted mostly to the subantarctic islands, and the western edge of the Peninsula.