Applications
PVDF is commonly used as insulation on some kinds of electrical wires, because of its combination of flexibility, low weight, low thermal conductivity, high chemical corrosion resistance, and heat resistance. Most of the narrow 30-gauge wire used in wire wrap circuit assembly and printed circuit board rework is PVDF-insulated. In this use the wire is generally referred to as "Kynar wire", from the trade name.
The piezoelectric properties of PVDF are used to advantage to manufacture tactile sensor arrays, inexpensive strain gauges and lightweight audio transducers. Piezoelectric panels made of PVDF are used on the Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter, a scientific instrument of the New Horizons space probe that measures dust density in the outer solar system.
PVDF is the standard binder material used in the production of composite electrodes for lithium ion batteries. 1-2% weight solution of PVDF dissolved in N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is mixed with an active lithium storage material such as graphite, silicon, tin, LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, or LiFePO4 and a conductive additive such as carbon black or carbon nanofibers. This slurry is cast onto a metallic current collector and the NMP is evaporated to form a composite or paste electrode. PVDF is used because it is chemically inert over the potential range used and does not react with the electrolyte or lithium.
In the biomedical sciences PVDF is used in immunoblotting as an artificial membrane, usually with 0.22 or 0.45 micrometres pore sizes, on which proteins are transferred using electricity (see western blotting). PVDF is resistant to solvents and, therefore, these membranes can be easily stripped and reused to look at other proteins, making it very convenient.
PVDF is used for specialty monofilament fishing lines, sold as fluorocarbon replacements for nylon monofilament. Optical density is lower than nylon, which makes the line less discernible. The surface is harder, so it is more resistant to abrasion and sharp fish teeth. It is also denser than nylon, making it sink faster.
Read more about this topic: Polyvinylidene Fluoride