Crystalline ice grown on the surface of the ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride) (70%) and trifluoroethylene (30%)

Water ice is observed to order at the copolymer ferroelectric poly(vinylidene difluoride-trifluoroethylene) surface. The successful growth of crystalline thin films of water on these polymer surfaces implicates water to polymer dipole interactions. These ice thin films are sufficiently ordered for experimental identification of the wave vector dependence in the electronic band structure of hexagonal ice. The significant band dispersion, of about 1 eV, suggests strong overlap of molecular orbitals between adjacent water molecules in the ice film. The presence of dipole interactions with adsorbate water is consistent with the possibility of water acting as a spectator to surface ferroelectric transitions in this system.     

Piezoelectricity,pyroelectricity, and the electrostriction constant of poly(vinylidene fluoride)

A new device for measuring the electrostriction constant of polymer films is described. Observed values for various polymers except poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(methyl methacrylate) agree well with those calculated from the Clausius-Mosotti equation. Elongational piezoelectricity, the pyroelectric current, and the electrostriction constant are measured for undrawn and roll-drawn poly(vinylidene fluoride) films. The piezoelectricity and pyroelectric current are attributed to space charges antisymmetrically distributed along thickness direction of the film for two reasons: (1) the polarity coincides between these two phenomena for all specimens, and (2) the piezoelectricity and the electrostriction constant have the same anisotropy for drawn films. Similarity of signs between piezoelectricity and pyroelectric current is observed also in poly(vinyl chloride) films. The electrical behavior of poly(vinylidene fluoride) is interpreted in terms of the ferroelectric nature of the β-form crystal.     

Influence of the remanent polarisation on the liquid crystal alignment in composite films of ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and a cyanobiphenyl-based liquid crystal

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) of ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and nematic 4-cyano-4?-n-hexylbiphenyl (6CB) or 4-cyano-4?-n-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) were prepared to study the effect of the remanent polarisation of the polymer on the liquid crystal alignment. We measured the macroscopic alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the thickness direction by means of Infrared Transition-Moment Orientational Analysis. Electrical poling at 100 V/µm caused an increased order parameter up to 0.15. After subsequent annealing above the nematic-to-isotropic phase-transition temperature, the order parameter was reduced to 0.02. Nevertheless, the order parameter was still higher than for non-poled film indicating a slight orientation in thickness direction. Both values are lower than those expected from model calculations. In agreement with dielectric measurements, we attribute this result to the shielding effect of mobile charge carriers within the liquid crystal inclusions.     

Micropatterning of the Ferroelectric Phase in a Poly(vinylidene difluoride) Film by Plasmonic Heating with Gold Nanocages

Polymer thin films with patterned ferroelectric domains are attractive for a broad range of applications, including the fabrication of tactile sensors, infrared detectors, and non‐volatile memories. Herein, we report the use of gold nanocages (AuNCs) as plasmonic nanostructures to induce a ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition in a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) thin film by leveraging its photothermal effect. This technique allows us to generate patterned domains of ferroelectric PVDF within just a few seconds. The incorporation of AuNCs significantly enhances the pyroelectric response of the ferroelectric film under near‐infrared irradiation. We also demonstrate the use of such patterned ferroelectric films for near‐infrared sensing/imaging.     

Energetics of the dipole flip-flop motion in a ferroelectric polymer chain

The authors report on a study of dipole flip-flop "local" transition in ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride [P(VDF)] chains, using total energy calculation based on the density functional theory. The calculated results indicate that a simple flipping of a single electric dipole moment is energetically allowed. Furthermore, such a flipping involves no change either in bond length, bond angle, or the orientation of the chain. The calculations also show that on a thin film of ordered chains, strong dipole interactions existing in P(VDF) could cause modulation of the dipole orientation thus forming superlattices on P(VDF) films. These results are in good agreement with recent scanning tunnel microscope experimental measurements. Furthermore, our calculations show that partial flipping may also exist and extend over a length of several monomers during the flip-flop transition.     

Enhanced electrical properties of highly oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride) films prepared by solid‐state coextrusion

Oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films with β‐form crystals have been commonly prepared by cold drawing of a melt‐quenched film consisting of α‐form crystals. In this study, we have successfully produced highly oriented PVDF thin films (20 µm thick) with β‐crystals and a high crystallinity (55–76%), by solid‐state coextrusion of a gel film to eight times the original length at an established optimum extrusion temperature of 160°C, some 10°C below the melting temperature. The resultant drawn films had a highly oriented (orientation function f_c = 0.993) fibrous structure, showing high mechanical properties of an extensional elastic modulus of 8.3 GPa and tensile strength of 0.84 GPa, along the draw direction. Such highly oriented and crystalline films exhibited excellent ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties. The square hysteresis loop was significantly sharper than that of a conventional sample. The sharp switching transient yielded the remnant polarization P_r of 90 mC/m², and the electromechanical coupling factor k_t was 0.24 at room temperature. These values are about 1.5 times greater than those of a conventional β‐PVDF film. Thus, solid‐state coextrusion near the melting point was found to be a useful technique for the preparation of highly oriented and highly crystalline β‐PVDF films with superior mechanical and electrical properties. The morphology of the extrudate relevant to such properties is discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2549–2556, 1999     

Changes in the optical properties of ultrathin films of liquid crystals during phase transitions

The temperature dependences of diffuse reflection spectra and the polarization of light reflected from ultrathin Langmuir films based on liquid crystals are studied. The results are compared to the experimental data obtained on thicker liquid films. The dependences of the electric capacity of metal-film-metal structures on temperature are measured. The maximum for ultrathin films lies near 75°C, indicating the occurrence of a ferroelectric phase transition. Features in the intensity and polarization of the reflected light are registered at the phase transition temperature. It is concluded that the generality of the results obtained using samples of both types indicates the existence of a mesomorphic phase in Langmuir films. The observed differences could be associated with either dimensional effects or differences in the structures of the films.     

Oligo(vinylidene fluoride) Langmuir-Blodgett films studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and the density functional theory

Thin films of amphiphilic vinylidene fluoride oligomers prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett deposition on silicone substrates were investigated by comparing experimental and theoretical mid-infrared (IR) spectra. The experimental spectra were obtained using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry. Theoretical spectra were calculated using density functional theory. Excellent correspondence of major IR bands in both data sets shows that the molecular backbone is oriented with the long axis normal to the substrate plane. This is in contrast to poly(vinylidene fluoride) LB films, in which the polymer chains are parallel to the substrate.     

Interfacial properties of free-standing poly(3-hexylthiophene) films

Using full atomistic classical molecular dynamics simulations, the interfacial properties of free-standing poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films have been investigated. The orientations of different parts of the P3HT chain and the surface tensions of the films were calculated in a temperature range of 540 K-600 K. At the liquid/vacuum interface, the P3HT chain shows ordering by exposing hexyl groups at the interface, while the chain backbone lays flat with the thiophene ring preferentially tilt toward the surface. At the interface, the terminal methyl groups of hexyl side chains are in excess compared to the methylene groups or thiophene rings. The surface tension of P3HT in its melt state shows similar temperature dependence to that of polymers that have long alkyl side chains. The surface tension values are comparable to those polymers that expose methyl or methylene groups on the surface. The surface tension values determined for the melt state are lower than the experimental reported values for crystalline P3HT films, as expected.     

Effect of thickness and monolayer location on thermostability of metal stearate LB films studied by FT-IR reflection—absorption spectroscopy

LB films of Cd and Ca stearates with 1, 3, 9, and 21 monolayers were fabricated on silver-coated glass slides. 9-Monolayer LB films of Cd and Ca salts of deuterated stearic acid, in which the 1st, 5th, or 9th layer was replaced by 1 monolayer of undeuterated analogues, were also prepared on the above substrates. Temperature dependences of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) reflection—absorption (RA) spectra were examined for these LB films in the range 31–140°C. At room temperature, the hydrocarbon chains in these LB films were in a well-ordered state with a high degree of perpendicular orientation to the substrate. However, they became disordered at elevated temperatures. These order-disorder phase transition temperatures were dependent on the film thickness, to a small degree in the Cd stearate LB film (102–108°C), but to a large degree in the Ca stearate LB film (103–129°C). In the latter LB film, the effect of dehydration was inferred. The degree of disorder at high temperatures was dependent on the film thickness and the location of monolayer in the 9-monolayer LB films. This result is discussed in terms of the internal pressure within the LB film.     

Molecular orientation ordering in surface layers of polymer films

The spontaneous ordering of fragments of chain molecules near the surface in polymer films is described in terms of the multichain model that allows for local intra-and interchain orientational interactions of chain segments and for transverse fluctuation of their orientation in the approximation of strong planar-orientation order in the layers. Chain packing in the plane-ordered state is impossible unless the interchain interaction parameter has a value of b = 2K ₂/k _B T > b _c. The value of b _c decreases with a growth in chain rigidity (parameter a = 2K ₁/k _B T). The calculated dependence of the limiting values of the quadrupole orientation order parameter S ₀ on the length of the Kuhn statistical segment A = 2a reasonably well describes the experimental data obtained in a study of polymer-homolog (polysaccharide) films by means of the tilted polarized-beam technique at an interchain interaction parameter of b = 1.75. The monolayer thickness (d ? 10 mn) is films of some polysaccharides was calculated from the fit of the theoretical to the experimental dependences of the orientational order parameter and the birefringence on the number of layers.     

The Effect of Substrate on the Properties of Non-volatile Ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE)/P3HT Memory Devices

Ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE))/semiconducting poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) blend systems have drawn great attention with their potential use for electronic applications, particularly non-volatile memory devices. It is essential to grasp a full understanding of the crystallization habits of the two polymers on different substrates for purposeful control of the structures of the blend and therefore the properties of the devices. Here, the effects of structure and morphology of the blend films generated at different substrate surfaces on the ferroelectric and switching properties of related devices are reported. It is identified that P(VDF-TrFE)/P3HT blend films prepared on graphene substrate show not only an obvious optimization in the ferroelectric behavior of P(VDF-TrFE), but also an enhancement of the charge transport within P3HT domains. By employing sandwich structure constructed by silver electrode and P3HT/P(VDF-TrFE) blend film on graphene substrate, high-performance ferroelectric memory devices have been obtained, which exhibit a great electrical switching behavior with high ON/OFF ratio of about 1000 and low coercive voltage of approximately 5 V. These findings provide useful guidance for fabricating high-performance ferroelectric memory devices.

     

PMMA/PVDF共混对PVDF的β相构型影响的研究

采用溶液法制备了不同含量的聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚偏二氟乙烯(PMMA/PVDF)共混薄膜,利用傅立叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线衍射谱(XRD)、和差热分析法(DSC)对共混薄膜的结晶行为进行了分析。结果表明,共混物中PMMA的含量对PVDF的β相构型有明显影响:PMMA/PVDF=30/70共混物中β相含量最高。为提高PVDF薄膜的铁电性能提供了新的研究方法。     

Polarization of block textured films of ferroelectric copolymers of vinylidene fluoride with tetrafluoroethylene in an external field

The polarization of oriented films of the ferroelectric copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and tetrafluoroethylene in a sinusoidal electric field is studied. In low fields, the copolymer behaves as a linear dielectric whose permittivity nonlinearly increases with the amplitude of the alternating field. This behavior is related to the preferential orientation of the dipole moment of the chain along the normal to the surface and to the monocrystal-structure formation. In higher fields, the hysteresis behaves formally coincidently with the behavior of an antiferroelectric. The important role of through stressed chains in the amorphous phase in the initiation of domains of a new direction in polar crystals is observed. Increased adsorption of water molecules on the surface of a polarized film is found and is attributed to the formation of the final density of the stable polarization charge on it.     

Effect of poly(ethylene glycol) on the dielectric properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/poly(ethylene glycol) composite films for electronic applications

In the present work a series of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/BiFeO₃/poly(ethylene glycol) composite films were prepared by solvent casting method with poly(vinylidene fluoride) as polymer matrix, bismuth ferrite as ceramic filler and poly(ethylene glycol) as binding agent as well as enhancer. The structural analysis of the composite films by X-ray diffraction confirms that the composites have a distorted rhombohedral structure. The micro-structural analysis shows that the use of poly(ethylene glycol)in the composite films enhances the homogeneity as well as compatibility of BiFeO₃ particles within the poly(vinylidene fluoride) matrix. The dielectric and electrical study done by impedance analyzer reveals that with an increase in poly(ethylene glycol) concentration, there is a subsequent increase in dielectric constant as well as AC electrical conductivity. Finally, the ferroelectric behavior of the composite confirms that the ferroelectric properties of the composites are enhanced by the addition of BiFeO₃ with an increase in poly(ethylene glycol) concentrations. These preliminary results give an idea for possible applications of this type of composites in the field of electronic applications.     

Heterogeneous freezing on pyroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) thin films

Active deicing of technical surfaces, such as for wind turbines and heat exchangers, currently requires the usage of heat or chemicals. Passive coating strategies that postpone the freezing of covering water would be beneficial in order to save costs and energy. One hypothesis is that pyroelectric active materials can achieve this because of the surface charges generated on these materials when they are subject to a temperature change. High-quality poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) thin films with a high crystallinity, prefererd edge-on orientation, low surface roughness, and comprised of the β-analogous ferroelectric phase were deposited by spin-coating. Freezing experiments with a cooling rate of 1 K min⁻¹ were made on P(VDF-TrFE) coatings in order to separate the effect of different parameters such as the poling direction, film thickness, used solvent, deposition process, underlying substrate, and annealing temperature on the achievable supercooling. The topography and the underlying substrate significantly changed the distribution of freezing temperatures of water droplets in contact with these thin films. In contrast, no significant effect of the thickness, morphology, or pyroelectric effect of the as-prepared domain-state on the freezing temperatures was found.     

The temperature behaviour of a ferroelectric smectic mixture and the detection of ferroelectric switching by NMR

The orientational order of a ferroelectric mixture has been measured by proton NMR. The alignment of the mesogenic units is reflected in the splitting of the NMR signal into a doublet. Up to a cell thickness of 200 μm, it was possible to produce well-oriented layers in the bookshelf geometry by magnetic orientation of the substances in the B₀-field. The angular dependences of the line width of the NMR signal on the tilt angle of the director have been calculated. A ferroelectric switching was detected by measuring the angular dependence of the line width in the switched state. The tilt angle and the orientational order parameter S of the bookshelf samples were estimated at various temperatures.     

含氟丙烯酸酯聚合物乳胶膜表面性质

采用XPS和界面张力仪分别测定了含氟丙烯酸酯聚合物乳胶膜表面的组成及水在其表面的动态接触角, 并用状态逼近方程模型计算了含氟聚合物乳胶膜的表面张力, 考察了温度对乳胶膜润湿性的影响. 结果表明, 含氟聚合物乳胶膜表层较深处的F 1s信号强度比近表面要弱, 乳胶膜表面张力随表面氟原子浓度增加在一定程度上呈现线性下降；含氟侧链(Rf)较长(碳原子数n＞6)的含氟聚合物, 其表面张力随Rf单元含量增加而下降的趋势显著高于Rf较短(n≤6)的含氟聚合物, 而水在含氟聚合物乳胶膜表面上的后退接触角θr随n增大出现急剧上升, n≥10 时, θr值几乎恒定不再随n增大而改变. 此外, 参与共聚的非氟丙烯酸酯酯基碳链较短时, 水在共聚物乳胶膜表面的θr随氟单元含量增加而增加的趋势更显著；温度超过40 ℃后, 水对聚合物乳胶膜的润湿性随温度上升略有改善.     

Brillouin scattering studies of poly(vinylidene fluoride) films subject to uniaxial stretching

Brillouin scattering spectra of poly(vinylidene fluoride) films subject to stretching have been studied as a function of draw (stretch) ratios. The longitudinal sound velocity is found to be isotropic for the unoriented film, but as the film is stretched, the velocity along the direction of stretch becomes higher than that perpendicular to it. The increase in the sound velocity is due to the induced orientation of the chains in the amorphous and the crystalline regions. The Hermans orientation parameter has been determined as a function of stretch from the velocity data. The result indicates the occurrence of recrystallization and reorganization as a result of transformation to form I crystallites from the amorphous phase as the film is stretched.     

The factors that determine the temperature of fusion of Cu and Ni thin films on inert surfaces

A method for calculating the temperature of fusion of thin films depending on their thickness was suggested. It was shown for the example of copper and nickel films that the main factors that determined a substantial decrease in the temperature of fusion of thin films compared with massive materials were the different heats of fusion of thin films, the temperature dependence of the heat of fusion, and the tendency of thin-film systems toward decreasing the absolute surface energy at the expense of decreasing the specific surface energy and surface area. The dependences of the temperature of fusion on the thickness of copper and nickel films were calculated. Fusion and dispersion processes were studied as depending on nickel film thickness on the surfaces of Al₂O₃ and SiO₂. The calculation results obtained for copper and nickel were in close agreement with experimental data.