AbstractThe effect of different fabrication techniques on the formation of electroactive β-phase polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has been investigated. Films with varying concentration of PVDF and solvent - dimethyl formamide (DMF) were synthesized by tape casting and solvent casting techniques. The piezoelectric β-phase as well as non polar β-phase were observed for both the tape cast and solvent cast films from X-ray diffraction (XRD) micrographs and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra. A maximum percentage (80 %) of β-phase was obtained from FT-IR analysis for a solvent cast PVDF film. The surface morphology of the PVDF films was analyzed by FESEM imaging. The dielectric properties as a function of temperature and frequency and the ferroelectric hysteresis loop as a function of voltage were measured. An enhancement in the value of the dielectric constant and polarization was obtained in solvent cast films.
Effect of fabrication technique on the crystalline phase and electrical properties of PVDF films