An overview of the activities in fluorine chemistry at the Laboratory of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Montpellier is presented, ranging from the synthesis of fluorinated monomers and initiators to the properties and applications of the corresponding (co)polymers. Concerning the monomers, acrylic, vinyl, allyl, styrenic, epoxides or silicon-containing monomers have been prepared. Then, original telomers of fluoroolefins from various chain transfer agents, and their functionalizations have been described. Further, fluorinated (co)polymers have been obtained and characterized: they can be produced either from radical (co)polymerization of commercially available or synthesized fluoromonomers (e.g. acrylic, trifluorovinyl monomers), or from polycondensation (e.g. fluorinated silicones or polyimides) or from polyaddition (e.g. fluorinated polyurethanes). Finally, several properties and applications are given. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.