Polyvinyl fluoride (clear Tedlar) PVF

spore: profile
id: pvf-clear-tedlar
spore_version: 0.2
family: fluoropolymers
name: Polyvinyl fluoride (clear Tedlar)
abbreviation: PVF
role: weatherable fluoropolymer film with good atomic oxygen resistance
category: polymers
type: fluoropolymers
summary: |
  Clear Tedlar is a biaxially oriented polyvinyl fluoride film from DuPont with no plasticizers. On the NASA MISSE 2 flight it eroded under atomic oxygen at 3.19e-24 cm3/atom, close to Kapton H at 3.00e-24 in the same table, and a white pigmented Tedlar eroded at only 1.01e-25 because its titanium dioxide shields the polymer. DuPont rates its continuous use range at -72 to 107 degC.
best_for: Weatherable, tough, flexible thin film for outdoor or decorative surfaces where a pigment can shield it from atomic oxygen
weakest_at: Clear film erodes under atomic oxygen about as fast as Kapton H (NASA MISSE 2), so it needs pigment or a shield in low Earth orbit
identity:
  formula: (-CH2-CHF-)n
  cas: 24981-14-4
  source: wiki-pvf
  where: Chembox at the top of the page (formula and CAS 24981-14-4); repeat unit given as (-CH2CHF-)n in the lead. Atoms per repeat unit (C2H3F) from NASA/TM-2008-215490 Table V.
tags:
  environments:
    - low-earth-orbit
  stresses:
    - atomic-oxygen
    - uv
    - vacuum-and-outgassing
  applications:
    - electronics-and-chips
    - thermal-control
properties:
  - benchmark: density
    label: Density (clear PVF, MISSE 2 sample)
    value: 1.3792
    unit: g/cm3
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: clear Tedlar film used on MISSE 2
      test_standard: density gradient column (ref. 12 in the NASA report)
    method: Value printed in the NASA table of polymer densities
    status: ground
    source: banks2008
    where: Table II (Density, PVF Clear Tedlar row)
  - benchmark: density
    label: Density range (Tedlar PVF film)
    value: 1.37
    value_high: 1.72
    unit: g/cc
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: DuPont Tedlar PVF film, all types
      test_standard: ASTM D-1505
    method: Typical-value range printed in the DuPont general properties table
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Density row
  - benchmark: atomic_oxygen_erosion_yield
    label: Atomic oxygen erosion yield, clear PVF (MISSE 2)
    value: 3.19e-24
    unit: cm3/atom
    scope: material
    conditions:
      environment: low Earth orbit, ISS, MISSE 2 PEACE tray
      fluence: 8.43e21 atoms/cm2 (from the NASA report text)
    method: Measured on the MISSE 2 PEACE flight sample and reported in the NASA predictive-tool report
    status: flight
    source: banks2008
    where: Table I (MISSE 2 PEACE polymers erosion yield data, PVF clear Tedlar row); section 2.2 gives the fluence
  - benchmark: atomic_oxygen_erosion_yield
    label: Atomic oxygen erosion yield, white pigmented PVF (MISSE 2)
    value: 1.01e-25
    unit: cm3/atom
    scope: material
    conditions:
      environment: low Earth orbit, ISS, MISSE 2 PEACE tray
      form: crystalline PVF with white (titanium dioxide) pigment
    method: Measured on the MISSE 2 PEACE flight sample; the NASA report attributes the difference to pigment shielding
    status: flight
    source: banks2008
    where: Table I (PVF white pigment row); section 2.2 text on pigment shielding
  - benchmark: min_service_temp
    label: Continuous use lower limit
    value: -72
    unit: degC
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: DuPont Tedlar PVF film
      use: continuous use
    method: Printed manufacturer temperature range (printed as -72 to 107 degC, -98 to 225 degF)
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Temperature Range, Continuous Use row
  - benchmark: max_service_temp
    label: Continuous use upper limit
    value: 107
    unit: degC
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: DuPont Tedlar PVF film
      use: continuous use
    method: Printed manufacturer temperature range (printed as -72 to 107 degC, -98 to 225 degF)
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Temperature Range, Continuous Use row
  - benchmark: zero_strength_temperature
    label: Zero strength temperature
    value: 260
    value_high: 300
    unit: degC
    scope: material
    conditions:
      test_method: hot bar
    method: Range printed in the DuPont general properties table (printed as 260 to 300 degC, 500 to 570 degF)
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Temperature Range, Zero Strength row
  - benchmark: ultimate_tensile_strength
    label: Ultimate tensile strength (ASTM D-882)
    value: 8
    value_high: 16
    unit: kpsi
    scope: material
    conditions:
      test_standard: ASTM D-882
      temperature: 22 degC (72 degF)
    method: Printed as 8 to 16 x 10^3 psi in the DuPont table; entered as kpsi with the same numbers
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Ultimate Tensile Strength row
  - benchmark: elongation
    label: Ultimate elongation (ASTM D-882)
    value: 90
    value_high: 250
    unit: '%'
    scope: material
    conditions:
      test_standard: ASTM D-882
      temperature: 22 degC (72 degF)
    method: Typical range printed in the DuPont table
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Ultimate Elongation row
  - benchmark: moisture_absorption
    label: Moisture absorption (upper limit)
    value: 0.5
    unit: '%'
    scope: material
    conditions:
      test_method: water immersion
      temperature: 22 degC (72 degF)
      note: printed as less than 0.5 percent for most types
    method: Upper bound printed in the DuPont table; not a typical value
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Moisture Absorption row
  - benchmark: refractive_index
    label: Refractive index (nD)
    value: 1.46
    unit: nD
    scope: material
    conditions:
      test_method: ASTM D-542 Abbe refractometer
      temperature: 30 degC (86 degF)
    method: Value printed in the DuPont table
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Refractive Index row
  - benchmark: cte
    label: Linear coefficient of expansion
    value: 0.000028
    unit: in/in/degF
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: Tedlar PVF film
    method: Value printed in the DuPont table as 2.8 x 10-5 in/in/degF
    status: ground
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1 (General Properties), Thermal, Linear Coefficient of Expansion row
  - benchmark: molar_mass
    label: Molar mass of the repeat unit (C2H3F)
    value: 46.0437
    unit: g/mol
    scope: material
    conditions:
      basis: repeat unit C2H3F
    method: Value printed in the NASA table of atomic mass units per repeat unit
    status: calculated
    source: banks2008
    where: Table IV (Atomic mass units, g/mole, PVF clear row)
checked_values: 13
corrosion:
  - environment: Atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit
    headline: Clear PVF eroded at about the same rate as Kapton H on the ISS, but pigmented PVF eroded about 30 times more slowly.
    effect: MISSE 2 erosion yield was 3.19e-24 cm3/atom for clear PVF, against 3.00e-24 for Kapton H, and 1.01e-25 for white pigmented PVF. The NASA report says titanium dioxide pigment shields the film.
    rating: moderate
    conditions:
      flight: MISSE 2, fluence 8.43e21 atoms/cm2
    source: banks2008
    where: Table I; section 2.2
  - environment: Sunlight and weathering
    headline: DuPont rates Tedlar as having excellent weathering resistance.
    effect: The DuPont table lists weatherability as excellent for Florida exposure facing south at 45 degrees. The brochure says outdoor weathering tests on pigmented films have run for more than 20 years. A 2025 Frontiers review attributes the aging resistance of Tedlar composite films to inorganic fillers that block light.
    rating: severe
    conditions:
      exposure: Florida, facing south at 45 degrees to horizontal
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1, Weatherability row; Summary of Properties text
  - environment: Heat ageing
    headline: Tedlar has no plasticizers, so it keeps its properties on heat ageing.
    effect: DuPont lists an aging test of 3000 hours in a circulating air oven at 150 degC for Tedlar, without a retained-property figure. The sheet says the lack of plasticizer gives good aging properties.
    rating: severe
    conditions:
      test: 3000 hr circulating air oven at 150 degC
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1, Aging row; Summary of Properties text
  - environment: Chemical exposure
    headline: PVF shows no visible effect after one year of immersion in acids, bases and solvents at 25 degC.
    effect: DuPont reports no visible effect after 1 year immersion at 25 degC and after 2 hours at boiling for acids, bases and solvents, and says strength and appearance were not affected by 5 years soil burial.
    rating: severe
    conditions:
      test: 1 yr immersion at 25 degC; 2 hr at boiling
    source: tedlar-gp
    where: Table 1, Chemical Resistance rows
risks:
  hazards: []
  failure_risks:
    - mode: Clear film erodes under atomic oxygen
      trigger: Exposed clear PVF in low Earth orbit with no pigment or shield
      consequence: Erosion yield of 3.19e-24 cm3/atom on MISSE 2, about 30 times the yield of the white pigmented film
      source: banks2008
      where: Table I; section 2.2
  side_effects: []
  handling: []
  mitigations:
    - text: Add a white or pigmented titanium dioxide layer, which the NASA report measured at 1.01e-25 cm3/atom on MISSE 2
      source: banks2008
      where: Table I; section 2.2
  gaps_text: No manufacturer hazard sheet, PubChem record or GHS classification for PVF was read in this run.
uses:
  - application: electronics-and-chips
    device: Printed circuit board and composite part release sheet (Tedlar S surface)
    example: DuPont says the S surface has excellent anti-stick properties and is especially suited as a release sheet for printed circuit board and composite part fabrication.
    source: tedlar-brochure
    where: Summary text, paragraph on the S surface
  - application: thermal-control
    device: Clear PVF film on the MISSE 2 PEACE tray exposed outside the ISS airlock
    example: Clear PVF was one of the polymers flown on MISSE 2 to measure atomic oxygen erosion in low Earth orbit (2001 to 2005).
    source: banks2008
    where: Table I (flight data for the MISSE 2 PEACE polymers)
supply:
  - subject: Fluorine feedstock (fluorspar, calcium fluoride)
    producers:
      - country: China
        share_percent: 60
        year: 2025
      - country: Mexico
        share_percent: 15
        year: 2025
      - country: Mongolia
        share_percent: 15
        year: 2025
      - country: South Africa
        share_percent: 4.1
        year: 2025
    recycling: 'USGS: synthetic fluorspar may be produced from neutralization of waste in uranium enrichment, petroleum alkylation and stainless-steel pickling, though undesirable impurities constrain its use.'
    substitutes:
      - 'USGS: fluosilicic acid from phosphate rock has been used as an alternative to fluorspar (about 73,000 tons of fluorspar equivalent was recovered in 2025).'
    source: usgs-mcs2026-fluorspar
    where: World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025; Recycling and Substitutes sections. Shares are calculated by Space Mushroom against the printed world total of 10,000 thousand t, so they are approximate.
  - subject: PVF film producer
    producers:
      - country: United States
        year: 2026
    source: tedlar-brochure
    where: Title and product name (DuPont Tedlar PVF films); the brochure gives no production share
gaps:
  - 'Not entered: a melting point from a primary source. Wikipedia gives 185 to 210 degC but is limited to history and composition in this profile.'
  - 'Not entered: the NASA erosion-prediction value 1.38e-24 cm3/atom (Table VII), because its benchmark is a model prediction and no canonical name fits.'
  - 'No hazard data: the ChemicalBook PVF safety sheet has no GHS data, and PubChem (CID search page) was blocked by a captcha in this run, so hazards and GHS codes are left empty.'
  - No handling guidance from a manufacturer safety sheet was read in this run.
  - The MISSE-S post-flight report (De Groh, NTRS 20070031938) mentions Tedlar specimens on the anti-solar side with low UV exposure, but its tables are OCR text and no Tedlar number was legible, so none is entered.
  - The Frontiers 2025 review was read for qualitative aging claims only; it gives no PVF number.
  - No PVF radiation dose, thermal-cycling or outgassing value from a fetched page was found; the passport's 3.95-year duration and -30 to 40 degC range were not re-read, so they are not entered.
  - The DuPont table's dielectric and volume resistivity columns are split across grades, so none is entered.
  - Erosion yield is entered under the snake_case name atomic_oxygen_erosion_yield because no canonical name exists in property-canon.yaml.
  - zero_strength_temperature is a snake_case name not in property-canon.yaml.
  - 'Atomic weights: NIST gives C as [12.0096, 12.0116] and H as [1.00784, 1.00811]; the parts list uses the lower bound of each interval.'
sources:
  banks2008:
    title: Atomic Oxygen Erosion Yield Predictive Tool for Spacecraft Polymers in Low Earth Orbit
    id: NASA/TM-2008-215490, NTRS 20090011780
    url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20090011780
    year: 2008
    kind: report
    license: public domain (NASA)
  usgs-mcs2026-fluorspar:
    title: 'Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Fluorspar (USGS)'
    id: USGS MCS 2026, February 2026
    url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-fluorspar.pdf
    year: 2026
    kind: report
    license: public domain (USGS)
  tedlar-gp:
    title: 'DuPont Tedlar PVF Films: General Properties'
    id: DuPont Tedlar General Properties (mirror at polymerfilms.com, uploaded 2023)
    url: https://polymerfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/DuPont_Tedlar-General-Properties.pdf
    year: 2023
    kind: datasheet
    license: manufacturer datasheet
  tedlar-brochure:
    title: DuPont Tedlar Polyvinyl Fluoride (PVF) Films brochure
    id: DuPont Tedlar PVF brochure 3 (mirror at metalcoffeeshop.com)
    url: https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/uploads/media/2022/01/dupont-tedlar-polyvinyl-fluoride-pvf-films-brochure-3.pdf
    kind: datasheet
    license: manufacturer brochure
  nasa-misse-s-de-groh:
    title: Post-Flight Analysis of Selected Fluorocarbon and Other Thin Film Polymer Specimens flown on MISSE-S (De Groh et al.)
    id: NTRS 20070031938
    url: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20070031938/downloads/20070031938.pdf
    year: 2007
    kind: report
    license: public domain (NASA)
  frontiers2025:
    title: Frontiers in Materials 2025 article on Tedlar PVF composite films (doi 10.3389/fmats.2025.1531950)
    id: doi 10.3389/fmats.2025.1531950
    url: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/materials/articles/10.3389/fmats.2025.1531950/pdf
    year: 2025
    kind: paper
    license: open access
  nist-atomic-weights:
    title: Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions (NIST)
    id: NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory, carbon, hydrogen and fluorine tables
    url: https://physics.nist.gov/cgi-bin/Compositions/stand_alone.pl
    kind: database
    license: public domain (NIST)
  wiki-pvf:
    title: Polyvinyl fluoride (Wikipedia)
    id: CAS 24981-14-4; history and composition only
    url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_fluoride
    kind: web
    license: CC BY-SA 4.0
story:
  recipe:
    line: PVF is made by polymerizing vinyl fluoride, C2H3F, usually by suspension or emulsion polymerization in water with peroxide or azo initiators (Wikipedia). The polymer is then dissolved, mixed with additives, cast or extruded, and biaxially oriented into thin film (Wikipedia, DuPont). Its repeat unit is C2H3F, with two carbons, three hydrogens and one fluorine (NASA Table V).
    parts:
      - name: Carbon
        symbol: C
        atoms: 2
        atomic_weight: 12.0096
        role: The two backbone carbons of each repeat unit.
      - name: Hydrogen
        symbol: H
        atoms: 3
        atomic_weight: 1.00784
        role: Three hydrogens on the backbone carbons.
      - name: Fluorine
        symbol: F
        atoms: 1
        atomic_weight: 18.998403163
        role: One fluorine on the backbone, which makes the polymer a fluoropolymer.
  risk_groups:
    - title: For people
      level: 1
      verdict: No hazard sheet was read; treat as a plastic film
      lead: No manufacturer safety data sheet or GHS classification for PVF was read in this run, so no hazard is stated for people.
      points:
        - label: Not checked
          line: The ChemicalBook PVF safety sheet has no hazard data, and PubChem was blocked in this run.
  why: Polyvinyl fluoride is a tough, flexible fluoropolymer film. Clear Tedlar eroded under atomic oxygen on MISSE 2 at about the rate of Kapton H, but its white pigmented form eroded about 30 times more slowly.
  uses:
    - where: Printed circuit board fabrication
      line: DuPont says the S surface of Tedlar is especially suited as a release sheet for printed circuit board and composite part fabrication.
    - where: MISSE 2 flight test
      line: Clear PVF was flown outside the ISS airlock on MISSE 2 from 2001 to 2005 to measure atomic oxygen erosion.
  can_do:
    - label: Atomic oxygen
      value: 3.19e-24 cm3/atom (clear)
      line: Clear PVF eroded at 3.19 × 10⁻²⁴ cm³/atom on MISSE 2, close to Kapton H at 3.00 × 10⁻²⁴ in the same table.
    - label: Pigmented atomic oxygen
      value: 1.01e-25 cm3/atom (white)
      line: White pigmented PVF eroded at 1.01 × 10⁻²⁵ cm³/atom, because titanium dioxide shields the polymer.
    - label: Continuous use
      value: '-72 to 107 degC'
      line: DuPont rates continuous use from -72 to 107 degC.
  compare: On the MISSE 2 flight, clear PVF eroded at 3.19 × 10⁻²⁴ cm³/atom, against 3.00 × 10⁻²⁴ for Kapton H in the same NASA table, while white pigmented PVF eroded at only 1.01 × 10⁻²⁵. Its tensile strength and elongation are modest, with DuPont giving 8 to 16 kpsi and 90 to 250 percent elongation.
  handling:
    - No manufacturer hazard or handling sheet was read in this run, so handling guidance is not given here.
    - Pigmented film is the better choice where atomic oxygen is expected, since the clear film eroded about 30 times faster.
  good_for:
    - Weatherable, tough flexible film for outdoor or decorative surfaces (DuPont).
    - Release sheet for printed circuit board and composite part fabrication (DuPont).
    - Pigmented films where atomic oxygen resistance matters, such as the white Tedlar on MISSE 2 (NASA).
  watch_out:
    - Atomic oxygen. The clear film eroded at 3.19 × 10⁻²⁴ cm³/atom on MISSE 2, so it needs a pigment or a shield in low Earth orbit.
    - Temperature. DuPont rates continuous use to 107 degC and zero strength at 260 to 300 degC.
    - Gaps in the record. No hazard sheet, PubChem record, melting point or radiation value was read in this run.
  verdict: Clear Tedlar is a weatherable, flexible fluoropolymer film with good aging and chemical resistance, but on the MISSE 2 flight it eroded in low Earth orbit about as fast as Kapton H. Pigmented PVF is much more durable under atomic oxygen, so the pigment is the key choice for space use.
  compare_rows:
    - label: Atomic oxygen erosion yield (MISSE 2)
      benchmark: atomic_oxygen_erosion_yield
      scope: material
    - label: Continuous use upper limit
      benchmark: max_service_temp
      scope: material
    - label: Density
      benchmark: density
      scope: material
license: CC-BY-4.0
updated: 2026-10-20T00:00:00.000Z
review:
  status: draft
  method: assistant
  checked_values: 13
  unreachable: 1
  caveats: 3
  note: Written by an AI assistant on 2026-10-20. Values were read from NASA TM-2008-215490 (text extracted with pdftotext), the DuPont Tedlar general properties table and brochure, and NIST pages fetched in this run. PubChem was blocked by a captcha. Wikipedia was used for composition and history only.