In situ synchrotron wide-angle X-ray
diffraction
measurements have been performed successfully for the oriented poly(vinylidene
fluoride) β form under the periodically changed high electric
field. (i) The β form existing under the low electric field
(βlow‑E
) was found to transform
to the βhigh‑E
phase when
subjected to an electric field higher than ca. ± 150 MV/m, as
known from the remarkable X-ray diffraction profile change between
two phases. In addition, (ii) the inversion of the polar b-axis (or the CF2CH2 dipoles) and (iii) the
titling of the zigzag-chain stems were found to occur simultaneously,
as already reported in our previous paper (Macromolecules
2021,
54, 2334). These three kinds
of phenomena (i–iii) have been found to occur systematically
in a cooperative manner. Once the βhigh‑E
phase was created in the highest electric field
strength, it was reserved in the process of decreasing the electric
field strength to 0 MV/m, during which, however, the stepwise rotation
of the polar b-axis and the chain tilting from the
oriented direction occurred again. Once when the electric field strength
reached ca. −100 MV/m after passing through 0 MV/m, in addition
to the cooperative phenomena of the stepwise b-axial
rotation and c-axial tilting, the partial transition
from the βhigh‑E
to βlow‑E
phases occurred, and then, the
βhigh‑E
phase was stabilized
again at −300 MV/m. In the recovery process from −300
to 0 MV/m, the βhigh‑E
phase
was reserved but the b-axial rotation and c-axial tilting still occurred as before. The stepwise b-axial rotation and the cooperative c-axial
tilting are speculated to occur through the generation and propagation
of TG-kink defects along the chain axis (T: trans and G: gauche C–C
torsions), as reported in the previous paper. The quantitative analysis
of the observed X-ray diffraction data, in combination with the lattice
energy optimization calculations, has allowed us to derive the crystal
structure of the βhigh‑E
phase
in addition to the structure of the well-known βlow‑E
phase. The zigzag chains are packed in parallel
along the b-axis similar to the βlow‑E
phase. However, the unit cell is deformed slightly
from the original rectangular shape of the βlow‑E
phase to the monoclinic type. On the basis of the
thus-collected experimental information, the images of the structural
changes occurring under the electric field have been derived concretely.