Study on the dehydrofluorination of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) and hexafluoropropylene (HFP) copolymer

This study evaluates the dehydrofluorination of fluoroelastomer (poly(VDF-co-HFP) copolymer) which was dissolved by organic solvent and reacted with different concentrations of KOH and different amount of phase transfer catalyst (PTC) at 20–60 °C.The structures, sequence types and contents of double bonds of samples were analyzed and investigated by Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 19F NMR spectroscopy and chemical titration method. The results revealed that dehydrofluorination of the studied fluoroelastromers could be carried out at room temperature in alkaline environments, wherein the temperature and alkali concentration were the great factors. And the dehydrofluorination of poly(VDF-co-HFP) copolymer conformed mainly to Zaitsev's rule and partially to Hofmann's rule. The double bonds (–C=C–) would generate in five positions of molecular chains and contents could be controlled. With increase of alkali concentration or reaction temperature, there would be dehydrofluorination accompanied with oxidation reaction whereby some –C=C– converted to hydroxyl groups. Finally, the mechanism of reaction was also deduced.