The structure and properties of block poly(vinylidene fluoride) and systems based on it

The influence of external factors on the formation of various polymorphic modifications of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and the copolymers and blends based on it is examined. It is shown that the formation of a particular conformational structure of the PVDF chains may be controlled by regulating, for example, the fraction of irregular 'head to head' ('tail to tail') attachments and by selecting a suitable comonomer or component of the blend. It is shown that polar modifications of PVDF may be obtained by its crystallisation from solutions in specific solvents. The important role of high pressures was noted in block crystallisation. Solid-phase transformations may be initiated with the aid of tensile and compressive deformations (within certain temperature ranges), high electric fields, and exposure to radiation. It is shown that both the type of the lattice and the variety of the morphology of the PVDF change on crystallisation in a blend with amorphous poly(methyl methacrylate). The characteristics of the dynamics of the block PVDF chains, obtained predominantly with the aid of dielectric spectroscopy, have proved sensitive to the polymorphism and the kind of morphology and may yield additional information about the structure of the noncrystallising regions of the polymer under consideration. The bibliography includes 383 references.