Fabrication and Properties of Solution Processed All Polymer Thin-Film Ferroelectric Device

A ferroelectric device, making use of a flexible plastic, polyethylenterephtalate (PET), as a substrate was fabricated by all solution processes. PET was globally coated by a conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) acid (PEDOT/PSSH), which is used as bottom electrode. The ferroelectric copolymer, poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF TrFE), thin film was deposited by spin-coating process from solution. The top electrode, polyaniline, was coated by solution process as well. The ferroelectric properties were measured on this all solution processed all polymer ferroelectric thin-film devices. A square and symmetric hysteresis loop was observed with high-polarization level at 15-V drive voltage on a all polymer device with 700 angstrom (PVDF TrFE) film. The relatively inexpensive conducting polyaniline electrode is functional well and therefore is a good candidate as electrode material for ferroelectric polymer thin-film device. The remnant polarization P-r was 8.5 mu C/cm(2) before the fatigue. The ferroelectric degradation starts after 1 x 10(3) times of switching and decreases to 4.9 mu C/cm(2) after 1 x 10(5) times of switching. The pulse polarization test shows switching take places as fast as a few micro seconds to reach 90% of the saturated polarization. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 1510-1513, 2011