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Ferroelectric polymers as multifunctional electroactive materials: recent advances, potential, and challenges

  • Polymers/Soft Matter Prospective Article
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Abstract

As multifunctional electroactive materials, ferroelectric polymers are unique owing to their exceptionally high dielectric strength (>600 MV/m), high flexibility, and easy and low-temperature fabrication into required shapes. Although polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)-based ferroelectric polymers have been known for several decades, recent findings reveal the potential of this class of electroactive polymers (EAPs) to achieve giant electroactive responses by tuning the molecular, nano, and meso-structures. This paper presents these advances, including giant electrocaloric effect, giant electroactuation, and large, hysteresis-free polarization response. New developments in materials benefit applications, such as environmentally benign and potentially highly energy-efficient electrical field controlled solid-state refrigeration, artificial muscles, and high-energy and power density electric energy storage devices. The challenges in developing these materials to realize these applications, and strategies to further improve the responses of EAPs will be also discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The research of ECE in modified ferroelectric PVDF-based polymers was supported by U.S. DoE, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Science and Engineering under Award No. DE-FG02-07ER46410. The research of PVDF based polymers for capacitor application was supported by the Office of Naval Research, under grant No. N00014-14-1-0109.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA

    Xiaoshi Qian, Shan Wu, Eugene Furman & Q. M. Zhang

  2. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, 23681, USA

    Ji Su

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  1. Xiaoshi Qian
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  2. Shan Wu
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  3. Eugene Furman
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  4. Q. M. Zhang
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Correspondence to Xiaoshi Qian or Q. M. Zhang.

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Qian, X., Wu, S., Furman, E. et al. Ferroelectric polymers as multifunctional electroactive materials: recent advances, potential, and challenges. MRS Communications 5, 115–129 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2015.20

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