Oxford team leads biomimetic fluorocarbon breakthrough
Chemists from Oxford University have led an international team in developing a biomimetic method for creating fluorochemicals without the use of hazardous hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas.
Hailed as a significant breakthrough decades in the making, the research could help transform the global fluorochemicals market, which was estimated at $21.4m in 2018. Applications for fluorochemicals include everything from polymers and agrochemicals to pharmaceuticals and the lithium-ion batteries.
Traditionally fluorochemicals have been derived from HF, which is produced by reacting a crystalline mineral called fluorspar (CaF2) with sulfuric acid under harsh conditions. The Oxford-led team was inspired by the natural biomineralization process that forms teeth and bones, making fluorochemicals directly from CaF2 and bypassing the production of the toxic HF gas. The work is detailed in Science.
“The direct use of CaF2 for fluorination is a holy grail in the field, and a solution to this problem has been sought for decades,” said lead author Professor Véronique Gouverneur FRS, from Oxford’s Department of Chemistry, who conceived and led this study.
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