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This literature review covers the solubility and processability of fluoropolymer polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF). Fluoropolymers consist of a carbon backbone chain with multiple connected C–F bonds; they are typically nonreactive and nontoxic and have good thermal stability. Their processing, recycling and reuse are rapidly becoming more important to the circular economy as fluoropolymers find widespread application in diverse sectors including construction, automotive engineering and electronics. The partially fluorinated polymer PVDF is in strong demand in all of these areas; in addition to its desirable inertness, which is typical of most fluoropolymers, it also has a high dielectric constant and can be ferroelectric in some of its crystal phases. However, processing and reusing PVDF is a challenging task, and this is partly due to its limited solubility. This review begins with a discussion on the useful properties and applications of PVDF, followed by a discussion on the known solvents and diluents of PVDF and how it can be formed into membranes. Finally, we explore the limitations of PVDF’s chemical and thermal stability, with a discussion on conditions under which it can degrade. Our aim is to provide a condensed overview that will be of use to both chemists and engineers who need to work with PVDF.

An organic nanoparticle-based drug delivery system with high drug loading efficacy (∼79 wt %) was developed using a perylene-derived photoremovable protecting group, namely, perylene-3,4,9,10-tetrayltetramethanol (Pe(OH)4). The anticancer drug chlorambucil was protected by coupling with Pe(OH)4 to form photocaged nanoparticles (Pe(Cbl)4). The photorelease mechanism of chlorambucil from the Pe(Cbl)4 conjugate was investigated experimentally by high-resolution mass spectrometry and theoretically by density functional theory calculations. The Pe(Cbl)4 nanoparticles perform four important roles: (i) a nanocarrier for drug delivery, (ii) a phototrigger for drug release, (iii) a fluorescent chromophore for cell imaging, and (iv) a photoswitchable fluorophore for real-time monitoring of drug release. Tunable emission of the perylene-derived nanoparticles was demonstrated by comparing the emission properties of the Pe(OH)4 and Pe(Cbl)4 nanoparticles with perylene-3-ylmethanol. These nanoparticles were subsequently employed in cell imaging for investigating their intracellular localization. Furthermore, the in vivo toxicity of the Pe(OH)4 nanoparticles was investigated using the mouse model. Histological tissue analysis of five major organs, i.e., heart, kidney, spleen, liver, and lung, indicates that the nanoparticles did not show any obvious damage to these major organs under the experimental conditions. The current research presents a successful example of integrating multiple functions into single-component organic nanoparticles for drug delivery.