What is "polyvinylidene fluoride"

n. A thermoplastic fluoropolymer of high purity and resistance to solvents, acids and alkalis, having many uses, including as an insulator and an ingredient of some paints and battery. Abbreviation: '''PVDF'''

Polyvinylidene fluoride, or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) is a highly non-reactive thermoplastic fluoropolymer produced by the polymerization of vinylidene difluoride.

PVDF is a specialty plastic used in applications requiring the highest purity, as well as resistance to solvents, acids and bases. Compared to other fluoropolymers, like polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), PVDF has a low density (1.78 g/cm).

It is available as piping products, sheet, tubing, films, plate and an insulator for premium wire. It can be injected, molded or welded and is commonly used in the chemical, semiconductor, medical and defense industries, as well as in lithium-ion batteries. It is also available as a crosslinked closed-cell foam, used increasingly in aviation and aerospace applications.

A fine powder grade, KYNAR 500 PVDF or HYLAR 5000 PVDF, is also used as the principal ingredient of high-end paints for metals. These PVDF paints have extremely good gloss and color retention, and they are in use on many prominent buildings around the world, e.g. the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and Taipei 101 in Taiwan, as well as on commercial and residential metal roofing.

PVDF membranes are used for western blots for immobilization of proteins, due to its non-specific affinity for amino acids.