Defects modifications of ferroelectric PVDF based polymers

COMP 83

Qiming Zhang, qxz1@psu.edu, Department of Electrical Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, Hastings Road, University Park, PA 16802
The work of Bill Goddard on the ferroelectric response of PVDF based polymers pointed out the possibility of altering the energy balance between the different phases to achieve high responses. Along this idea, we carried out a series of studies in recent years in employing defects modification to different phases in the ferroelectric PVDF based polymers. For example, using high energy electron irradiation in P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers as well as including a small amount of bulkier monomers such as CFT and CTFE to form a random terpolymer, we demonstrate that the normal ferroelectric polymer can be converted into a relaxor ferroelectric polymer with giant electrostriction.1,2 In the PVDF homopolymer, the defect modification leads to an enhanced polarization responses and consequently very high electric energy density, ideal for high efficiency energy storage.3

1. Q. M. Zhang, Vivek Bharti, and X. Zhao. Science, 280, 2101-2104 (1998). 2. H. Xu, Z.Y. Cheng, D. Olson, T. Mai, Q. M. Zhang, and G. Kavarnos. Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 2360 (2001). 3. Baojin Chu, Xin Zhou, Kailiang Ren, Bret Neese, Minren Lin, Qing Wang, F. Bauer, and Q. M. Zhang. Science 313, 334 (2006)