Chapter 2 - Characterization methods used for the identification of ferroelectric beta phase of fluoropolymers

Abstract

Fluoropolymers are ideal candidates for good piezoelectric energy harvesting applications due to their flexibility and easy production. Among the different polymers, the prime focus is on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) due to their credible applications in energy harvesters, sensors, energy generators, capacitors, actuators, biomedical applications, etc. PVDF has four distinctive crystalline phases: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. An electroactive beta phase is particularly important for applications based on piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects. In recent years, research has centered on extracting the greatest volume of electroactive beta polymorphs in PVDF because of the good polar piezoelectric capacity of beta phase crystallinity. The piezoelectric, as well as dielectric properties of PVDF, are affected by the polar β phase potential orientation, whereas the effect of direction on the electroactive beta phase in the field orientation can enhance the piezoelectric applications. This chapter aims to provide phenomenological insights into the various procedures in the electroactive beta phase and its orientation in association with piezoelectric properties in PVDF-based compositions. The present work aims at the identification and conformation of the electroactive beta phase with the help of different characterizations like DSC, FTIR, XRD, PE loop, and dielectric studies.