Structural dependence of phase transition and dielectric relaxation in ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene-trifluoroethylene)s.

A series of ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene-trifluoroethylene)s, P(VDF-CTFE-TrFE), with systematically varied chemical compositions have been synthesized via a two-step approach consisting of copolymerization and dechlorination. The effect of polymer structure on polarization responses and dielectric properties has been investigated over a broad frequency and temperature range. As shown in the X-ray diffraction patterns, multiple phases coexist within the terpolymers as a result of the gauche conformation induced by the CTFE unit.

A modular approach to ferroelectric polymers with chemically tunable curie temperatures and dielectric constants.

We present a modular approach toward poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based ferroelectric fluoropolymers with high dielectric constants. This strategy is based on a two-step reaction, including the copolymerization of vinylidene fluoride and chlorotrifluoroethylene and a subsequent hydrogenation reaction. The chemical structures and compositions of the resulting polymers can be precisely controlled, leading to tunable Curie temperatures and dielectric constants and a systematical study of structure-property correlations.