Polyvinylidene Fluoride: Reaction Engineering and Applications

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a semicrystalline fluoropolymer mostly produced by free-radical suspension or emulsion polymerization. It has the second largest production capacity among all fluoropolymers, following only polytetrafluoroethylene. This great industrial attention is due to its excellent chemical and physical properties, among which its inertness and resistance to chemicals and heat, its high melting point and high tensile strength. As a result, it is one of the first materials of choice in the field of membrane separations, especially for micro and ultrafiltration. In addition, due to its piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and optical properties, PVDF is finding more and more extensive application in batteries and sensors. Given the important role played by PVDF in the polymer market, this review is aimed at reporting the latest advancements in its manufacturing, with particular reference to the innovations introduced following the new legislation on environmental protection from perfluoroalkyl substances. The main focus is on the emulsion polymerization process, where experimental conditions and models from the literature are presented and discussed. After having clarified the polymer reaction engineering aspects for this material, the latest advancements in the application of PVDF are reviewed, with the aim of highlighting its strengths as well as points for improvement.