A novel displacement component in PVDF and its role in ferroelectric switching

In this paper we describe the detection of a novel frequency dependent displacement current in polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF). This component was derived from electrical switching experiments performed by the application of voltage pulses of different duration, followed by defined short circuit times. By means of the results so obtained, a complete account of all relevant displacement contributions could be derived. It was possible to separate the remanent polarization, the epsilon-related displacements and the conduction currents. It was found that the epsilon-related displacement contains a frequency dependent component which to our knowledge has not been discussed in the literature. By means of this component it is possible to explain the previously observed temporal lag of the remanent polarization and the total displacement which led to the charge trapping model proposed by Eisenmenger and coworkers.