Experimental method research on transverse flexoelectric response of poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Flexoelectricity describes the strain-gradient-induced electric polarization existing in dielectric materials. The coefficient that exists between the strain-gradient and the induced electric polarization defines the flexoelectric coefficient tensor. It is necessary to analyze different experimental methods to evaluate the procedure of measuring the transverse flexoelectric coefficient tensor component. In this work, the transverse flexoelectric coefficient tensor component of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is studied using three different experimental methods and the effects of the mentioned methods are evaluated. The results presented in this work are helpful for the design of experiments of different dielectric materials, including ceramics and polymers on flexoelectricity. (C) 2016 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.