Abstract
Ferroelectric polymers are the mainstay of advanced flexible electronic devices. How to tailor the ferroelectric polymer films for various applications via simple processing approaches is challenging. Here we demonstrate the tuning of ferroelectric responses can be achieved in polymer blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) prepared via a simple two-step process. The proposed two-step process endows the polymer blends with a random distribution of P(VDF-TrFE) crystalline phase, hence decoupling the coherent ferroelectric domain interactions between continuous ordered crystalline phases that ubiquitously existed in common P(VDF-TrFE) film. The incorporation of the miscible non-crystalline PMMA chains with low-polarity results in reversal dipoles and a transition from ferroelectric to antiferroelectric-like behavior, overcoming the trade-off between the polarization and depolarization fields. In particular, resultant excellent mechanical and electrical properties of the polymer blend films give rise to remarkably improved breakdown strength and energy storage performance, surpassing P(VDF-TrFE) and commercial biaxial-oriented polypropylene films. This work provides a simple and effective strategy to tailor the ferroelectric response of polymeric materials with great potential for flexible electrical energy storage applications.
摘要
铁电聚合物在先进柔性电子器件中通常扮演重要角色, 如何调控铁电聚合物薄膜的性能来满足其多样化应用是一个挑战. 本文中, 我们通过两步法制备了聚偏氟乙烯-三氟乙烯(P(VDF-TrFE))与聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)的聚合物共混薄膜并对共混薄膜的铁电特性进行了调控. 不同于常规P(VDF-TrFE)薄膜中铁电晶相的连续有序分布, 两步法工艺可以实现聚合物共混薄膜中P(VDF-TrFE)晶相的随机分布, 进而打破常规铁电聚合物薄膜中相邻晶相铁电畴间的耦合作用; 在此基础上, 共混薄膜非晶区内的低极性PMMA组分可以通过降低去极化电场来调节偶极子的翻转行为, 使共混薄膜由铁电特性转变为类反铁电特性; 此外, 铁电聚合物共混薄膜优异的力学与电学性能可以显著提升其击穿强度, 最终获得明显优于纯P(VDF-TrFE)薄膜和商业双轴拉伸聚丙烯薄膜的超高储能密度. 本论文提出了一种调控聚合物材料铁电特性的有效策略, 为高储能密度铁电聚合物薄膜材料的发展带来巨大潜力.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Basic Science Center Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51788104), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51802237, 52072280, 51872214 and 51872079), the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST (2018QNRC001), the Open Fund of Hubei Key Laboratory of Ferro & Piezoelectric Materials and Devices (K201807), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (193201002, 183101005 and 182401004).
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Zhang X and Nan CW conceived and supervised the study; Zhang X, Gao R and Jiang Y prepared the polymer films and performed the structural characterization; Jiang Y and Zhang Q carried out the measurements of energy storage properties; Li X and Zhang X conducted the PFM test; Shen Z performed the phase-field simulation; Zhang S and Li BW conducted the dielectric and ferroelectric measurements. Zhang X and Nan CW wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Xin Zhang joined the faculty of the International School of Materials Science and Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology, China, in July 2017. He received his BSc degree from Central South University, China, in 2012, and PhD degree in materials science and engineering from Tsinghua University in 2017. His research interests focus on the polymer nanocomposite materials for dielectric energy storage applications.
Ce-Wen Nan is a professor of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Before joining the faculty of Tsinghua University in 1999, he had worked at Wuhan University of Technology, China, since 1985. He was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011 and as a fellow of TWAS—the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World in 2012. His recent research focuses on polymer-based composites, multiferroic materials, solid state electrolytes, and thermoelectric oxide.
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Zhang, X., Jiang, Y., Gao, R. et al. Tuning ferroelectricity of polymer blends for flexible electrical energy storage applications. Sci. China Mater. 64, 1642–1652 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-020-1588-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-020-1588-3