The ferroelectric behavior of odd-numbered nylons

The combined results of the present investigation of Nylon 5 and Nylon 9 and the previous investigation of Nylon 11 and Nylon 7 reveal that the odd-numbered nylons exhibit classic ferroelectric J-E and D-E hysteresis behavior at room temperature. In addition, the remanent polarization, P r, of Nylon 5 and Nylon 9 is found to be 125-130 mC/m2 and 65-70 mC/m2, respectively. The remanent polarization of the odd nylon series is observed to increase linearly with increasing dipole density as does the melting point. The coercive field also shows a linear increase with dipole density. The present study also shows that both uniaxially oriented and unoriented odd-numbered nylons exhibit ferroelectric hysteresis behavior, and that the ferroelectric response can be significantly enhanced by uniaxial orientation.