Analysis of the hysteresis curve of ferroelectric polymers by a phenomenological relaxation theory

A simple relaxation theory for the displacement versus electric field hysteresis of ferroelectric polymers is developed in which the relaxation time is assumed to be a function of electric field, as has been experimentally evidenced by polarization-reversal switching. The theory gives an analytical expression for the hysteresis curve. The coercive field E_c predicted by the theory agrees well with data on E_c as a function of temperature for poly(vinylidene fluoride) from ?60 to 20°C and with data on E_c as a function of frequency for vinylidene fluoride/trifluoroethylene copolymer (73/27 molar ratio) at 20°C over the range 0.01–0.7 Hz.