The promise of piezoelectric polymers

Abstract

Recent advances provide new opportunities in the field of polymer piezoelectric materials. Piezoelectric materials provide unique insights to the fundamental understanding of the solid state. In addition, piezoelectric materials have a wide range of applications, representing billions of dollars of commercial applications. However, inorganic piezoelectric materials have limitations that polymer ferroelectric materials can overcome, if certain challenges can be addressed. This mini-review is a practical summary of the current research and future directions in the investigation and application of piezoelectric materials with an emphasis on polymeric piezoelectric materials. We will assume that the reader is well versed in the subject of polymers, but not as familiar with piezoelectric materials.

Ferroelectric Polymers Exhibiting Negative Longitudinal Piezoelectric Coefficient: Progress and Prospects

“…PVDF and P(VDF‐TrFE)s exhibit the strongest piezoelectric responses ( d 33 ≈ −30 pC N −1 ) among the polymer materials . While the introduction of voids into polymers leads to formation of cellular and porous polymer electrets which may exhibit much higher d 33 values (>400 pC N −1 ) as summarized in recent reviews, we focus on the discussion on intrinsic bulk piezoelectric response in this progress report.…”

“…[3] Unusually, PVDF and its copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) exhibits negative longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Under the usual conditions, applying an electric field along the polarization direction leads to expansion of piezoelectrics such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics (Figure 1a) with positive longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients (d 33 > 0). By contrast, PVDF with a negative longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient (d 33 < 0) contracts in the direction of the of polymers discussed here.…”

“…Semicrystalline poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is the first piezoelectric polymer discovered by Kawai in 1969 . Unusually, PVDF and its copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride‐ co ‐trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF‐TrFE)) exhibits negative longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients . Under the usual conditions, applying an electric field along the polarization direction leads to expansion of piezoelectrics such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics ( Figure a) with positive longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients ( d 33 > 0).…”

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applied electric field (its direction remains the same as polarization's direction) when an electric field is turned on (Figure 1b), and expands when the field is switched off.PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE)s exhibit the strongest piezoelectric responses (d 33 ≈ −30 pC N −1 ) among the polymer materials. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] While the introduction of voids into polymers leads to formation of cellular and porous polymer electrets which may exhibit much higher d 33 values (>400 pC N −1 ) as summarized in recent reviews, [12,14] we focus on the discussion on intrinsic bulk piezoelectric response in this progress report. Recent studies show that these polymers are ideal for flexible and biocompatible applications in energy harvesters, sensors, actuators, and so on.

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Corona Charging of Isotactic-Polypropylene Composites

“…Polymers are such promising materials that can be modified accordingly to bring about a piezoelectric effect and retain the beneficial properties of high molecular compounds, such as flexibility, stretchability, ease of forming, availability and non-toxicity. These features allow the polymers to be used not only in electronics or industry but also in medicine as elements in an implanted pacemaker, wearable blood pressure, and human motion sensors, or even in tissue engineering [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”