Abstract
The polymer polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) has unique piezoelectric properties favorable for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS) applications. In the present research, we conducted nanometer-length scale characterization of this material using several high-resolution techniques. Specifically, we used an atomic force microscope (AFM) to study the nano-and microstructures of the PVDF under stress and to measure their nanoscale conductivity and piezoelectricity. We found that the surface morphology, electronic structure, and microstructure are profoundly affected under electrical potential. Such a behavior is important for the properties and performance of MEMS and NEMS.
Highlights
Piezoelectric materials play an important role for Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) andNano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) [1, 2]
We have investigated the relationship between the piezoelectric properties and structures of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)
It is seen that at the zero potential, the surface profile underwent a morphology change resulting in an increase in roughness
Summary
Piezoelectric materials play an important role for Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) andNano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) [1, 2]. Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) has been widely used in engineering applications due to its favorable chemical and mechanical properties [3,4,5,6,7]. Properties such as high piezoelectric coefficient, good flexibility, biocompatibility [8,9,10], low acoustic and mechanical impedance, and light weight, are especially unique for MEMS applications. The mechanism of piezoelectricity has not been clearly explained [12,13,14] This uncertainty has hindered the development of MEMS or NEMS
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