Polyvinyl fluoride chemical properties

Tedlar Polyvinyl Fluoride, Chemical Properties, Optical Properties, and Weatherability Performance, Jechn ca Bulletin No. 234444B, DuPont Company, October 1995. 

PVC, another widely used polymer for wire and cable insulation, crosslinks under irradiation in an inert atmosphere. When irradiated in air, scission predominates.To make cross-linking dominant, multifunctional monomers, such as trifunctional acrylates and methacrylates, must be added. Fluoropolymers, such as copol5miers of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), are widely used in wire and cable insulations. They are relatively easy to process and have excellent chemical and thermal resistance, but tend to creep, crack, and possess low mechanical stress at temperatures near their melting points. Radiation has been found to improve their mechanical properties and crack resistance. Ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) has also been used for wire and cable insulation. When blended with thermoplastic polyefins, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), its processibility improves significantly. The typical addition of LDPE is 10%. Ethylene propylene copolymers and terpolymers with high PE content can be cross-linked by irradiation. ... 

Fluoropolymers, such as copolymer of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), are widely used in wire and cable insulations. They are relatively easy to process and have excellent chemical and thermal resistance, but tend to creep, crack and possess low mechanical stress at temperatures near their melting points. Radiation has been found to improve their mechanical properties and crack resistance.36... 

Emulsifiers such as fatty alcohol sulfates, alkane sulfonates, alkali salts of fatty acids, and others have been found to be slightly to marginally effective. Fluorinated surfactants, particularly perfluorinated carboxylic acids containing seven or eight fluorine atoms, have been especially effective in maintaining a high rate of polymerization after about 40% conversion. Fluorinated surfactants are characterized by low values of critical concentration of micelle formation, They are thermally and chemically stable, and their incorporation does not impair the polyvinyl fluoride properties. 

In practice, an attempt is made to equalize the properties of the PVF films in the machine and transverse directions. The excellent properties of the films have spurred the use of polyvinyl fluoride films in numerous outdoor and indoor applications where mechanical strength is important in addition to chemical resistance, durability, and continuous-use temperature range. 

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