Piezoelectricity in polyvinylidenefluoride

A review of the physical properties of polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) with particular emphasis on its piezoelectric activity is given and the applications of this material are discussed. PVDF is a semicrystalline polymer whose crystalline domains appear in four different forms. These forms may be interconverted by the application of heat, electrical fields, and pressure. Thermal poling or corona poling will orient the molecular dipoles in the crystalline parts and thus yield a permanent polarization. This polarization causes, by means of differences in the dielectric and elastic properties of the amorphous and crystalline parts, the piezoelectricity of PVDF. The piezoelectric constant d31 reaches values of about 35 pC/N at room temperature. At decreasing temperatures a drop of d31 and d33 is observed. Compared to other piezoelectric materials, PVDF has such unique properties as flexibility, ruggedness, availability as thin films, and low acoustic impedance, but a somewhat smaller electromechanical coupling factor. Applications of PVDF are in transducers for audiofrequency, ultrasonic, underwater, and electromechanical use and in pyroelectric and optical devices.