Synergistic Processes for Enhanced Functionality and Microstructure Engineering in PVDF-based Systems

Vinylidene Fluoride (VDF)-based polymers are renowned for their remarkable electroactive properties, including piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and ferroelectric features. These properties make them highly sought-after in a wide range of applications, such as sensors and energy storage. The modulation of their dielectric characteristics is intricately linked to the crystalline polymorphism, which is contingent upon specific processing conditions. Herein, we delve into the potential for enhancing these dielectric functionalities through modifications of the processing conditions (i.e., solvent casting and evaporation rate). Our findings demonstrate that superior structural characteristics and enhanced dielectric properties are achieved when casting from highly polar solvents followed by vacuum annealing. This simple and efficient method, eliminates the need for extensive processing and excessive energy consumption and it holds promise for streamlining industrial processing on a larger scale by reducing duration, energy, and complexity.