Organometallic-Mediated Radical Polymerization of Vinylidene Fluoride

Abstract

An unprecedented level of control for the radical polymerization of vinylidene fluoride (VDF), yielding well-defined PVDF (at least up to 14 500 g mol−1) with low dispersity (≤1.32), was achieved using organometallic-mediated radical polymerization (OMRP) with an organocobalt compound as initiator. The high chain-end fidelity was demonstrated by the synthesis of PVDF- and PVAc-containing di-and triblock copolymers. DFT calculations rationalize the efficient reactivation of both head and tail chain end dormant species.