Résumé
Thanks to their exceptionally useful properties, fluoropolymers are irreplaceable materials involved in many High-Tech applications, such as aerospace, automotive, internet of things, optics and electronic industries. They are usually synthesized by radical (co)polymerization of fluoroalkenes under high pressure. While many radical initiators have been used, perfluoro-3-ethyl-2,4-dimethyl-3-pentyl persistent radical (PPFR) releases a trifluoromethyl radical, as well as sodium trifluoromethyl sulfinate, initiating the homopolymerization of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) or the copolymerization of VDF with a wide range of fluoroolefins. Among the latter, functional 2-trifluoromethacrylates (MAF-funcs) have shown characteristics leading to various materials such as anticorrosion coatings, gel polymer electrolytes for Lithium-ion batteries, and polymer exchange membranes for fuel cell. Finally, facing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) issues, mineralizations of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and other VDF-containing copolymers were recently studied in subcritical water to generate fluoride anions, as an original source of CaF2, thus closing the loop of the fluorine chemistry.