Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF); Its Properties, Applications, and Manufacturing Prospects

Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) is a distinctive polymer with excessively studied properties. The wide utilization of this polymer has dramatically escalated due to its outstanding properties (e.g., mechanical strength, chemical resistance, high stability, low permeability, indoor functionality, outdoor durability, light transmissibility, adherence, stain resistance, sunlight degradation, and high temperature endurance). An overview of the chemical, physical, electrical, and thermal properties of PVF is provided. The current applications of PVF/Tedlar®, its polymerization, and the manufacturing processes are also addressed in this work. A comparative analysis has been conducted to explore common and uncommon properties of PVF, fluoropolymers, and competing polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Overall, PVF is anticipated to have further promising manufacturing prospects in numerous industries and in various fields such as in medical equipment, renewable energy applications, sensitive devices, advanced industrial platforms, and nanotechnology material composites. Therefore, further in-depth analyses and oriented numerical information on the performance of this polymer are required.