Synthesis of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)

Abstract

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymer with hexafluoropropylene (HFP) were successfully prepared from free radical solution polymerizations using diisopropyl peroxidicarbonate (DIPPDC) in the presence of 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane (R-113). The reactivity ratios of VDF and HFP were estimated as rVDF=2-06±0.03 and rHFP∼0. This result indicates that HFP cannot undergo self propagation. The weight-average molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of copolymers were found to decrease with increasing HFP content. The melting temperature of copolymers linearly decreased with the increase of HFP content because of the introduction of HFP. Moreover, no melting peak was observed for the copolymers with high HFP content. The glass transition temperature of copolymers gradually increased with the increase of HFP content due to the restricted flexibility of the polymer chains.