Direct Defluorination and Amination of Polytetrafluoroethylene and Other Fluoropolymers by Lithium Alkylamides.

Fiche publication

Date publication

juin 2024

Journal

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr AUBER Frédéric , Dr PICAUD Fabien

Tous les auteurs :
Herlem G, Roina Y, Fregnaux M, Gonçalves AM, Cattey H, Picaud F, Auber F

Lien Pubmed

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38998995

Résumé

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and, by extension, fluoropolymers are ubiquitous in science, life, and the environment as perfluoroalkyl pollutants (PFAS). In all cases, it is difficult to transform these materials due to their chemical inertness. Herein, we report a direct amination process of PTFE and some fluoropolymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and Nafion by lithium alkylamide salts. Synthesizing these reactants extemporaneously between lithium metal and an aliphatic primary di- or triamine that also serves as a solvent leads to the rapid nucleophilic substitution of fluoride by an alkylamide moiety when in contact with the fluoropolymer. Moreover, lithium alkylamides dissolved in suitable solvents other than amines can react with fluoropolymers. This highly efficient one-pot process opens the way for further surface or bulk modification if needed, providing an easy, inexpensive, and fast experiment protocol on large scales.