Polymer Synthesis

Synthesis of PVDF-based polymers is a core area of expertise at PSU.

Penn State University is the leading authority in the discovery and synthesis of high-quality polymers for electrocaloric applications. The laboratory has a full set of capabilities that are ideally suited for PVDF-based polymers synthesis. The typical sample size is on the grams scale.

Examples of synthesis facilities include a High Pressure Reactor, which  is used to contain all the mixed monomer gas before the reaction. It is cooled by liquid nitrogen to ensure all induced monomers become liquid in the reactor during feeding process. The Gas feeding system includes three gas channels, one gas flow controller, and one vacuum pump. Different channels are used to connect different gas cylinders and reactor. Gas flow controller is responsible for controlling the feeding flow velocity for all the three channels. A vacuum pump is used to remove all the trapped air and some inhibitors induced by monomers. After feeding, the system is closed and heated for polymerization reaction under controlled pressure and temperature.