Ferroelectric, electroactive, and dielectric-relaxation behavior of fluoropolymers

The discovery of piezoelectricity in poly(vinylidene fluoride) polymers and related co- and terpolymers has led to much interest in the physics of these materials because of their great potential for many actuator applications. The electroactive strain, ferroelectric polarization, and dielectric behavior of an irradiated poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) copolymer and non-irradiated poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE)) terpolymer are reported here, with special attention given to the analysis of the complex permittivity.