Mechanochemical solid‐phase reaction between polyvinylidene fluoride and sodium hydroxide

Abstract Grinding a mixture of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and NaOH was conducted by a planetary ball mill at atmospheric condition to investigate mechanochemical reaction between the two substances. The grinding stimulates the reaction to form NaF and organic composites. Yield of fluorine converted from PVDF to NaF increases with an increase in grinding time and reaches 90% at 60 min or more. As for the organic phase, oxygen‐bearing compounds are formed due to substitution of fluorine by OH base. The organic compounds are classified into water‐soluble and insoluble ones, depending on their structures. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 2249–2252, 2001