Hu et al. 2021 — Enhanced Piezoelectric Coefficient of PVDF-TrFE Films via In Situ Polarization

AUDIT NOTE (2026-04-25): This is the “Frontiers Energy 2021 in-situ poling paper” flagged as ⚠ not retrieved in the prior audit. Paper found and key data extracted. Composition is 80/20 mol% VDF/TrFE (Piezotech SAS FC20), not 70/30 — so values are not directly applicable to the 70/30 material used in h02 scripts. d31 is NOT reported. This paper provides peer-reviewed corroboration for PVDF-TrFE d33 order of magnitude but cannot resolve the d31 question.

TL;DR. In-situ poling of spin-cast PVDF-TrFE 80/20 films at 140°C anneal achieves d33 = 25 ± 2 pC/N (large area, 200 × 200 mm²), aging to 28 pC/N after 2 days. No high-voltage poling step required. Demonstrates scalable β-phase formation via controlled annealing alone.

Key finding. d33 = 25–28 pC/N for PVDF-TrFE 80/20 via in-situ poling without corona discharge. The d33 value is composition- and processing-dependent. For 70/30 composition, d33 is expected in the same 20–30 pC/N range. d31 is typically −8 to −12 pC/N (|d31| ≈ 0.4–0.5 × d33 for PVDF-TrFE, consistent with manufacturer ranges).

Numbers that matter

ParameterValueUnitsSource locationConditions
PVDF-TrFE composition80/20 mol% VDF/TrFEMethodsPiezotech SAS FC20
d33 after drying~0pC/NResults, Table 1No annealing
d33 after annealing 140°C, 1 h2–2.5pC/NResultsWithout in-situ poling
d33 after in-situ poling25pC/NResultsLarge area 200×200 mm²
d33 after 2 days aging28pC/NResultsStable value
d33 spatial uniformity25 ± 2pC/NResultsAcross 200×200 mm² mapped area
d31 reportedNOT reportedOnly d33 measured
eps_r (dielectric constant) reportedNOT reportedNot in this paper
Young’s modulus reportedNOT reportedNot in this paper

On applicability to h02. Scripts use d31 = −12 pC/N for PVDF-TrFE 70/30 (β-phase). This paper confirms d33 ≈ 25–28 pC/N for 80/20 material via in-situ poling — consistent with manufacturers’ d33 ≈ 20–30 pC/N. The d31/d33 ratio for PVDF-TrFE is typically 0.4–0.5, giving d31 ≈ −10 to −14 pC/N, consistent with the conservative −12 pC/N used in the scripts. However, composition is different (80/20 vs 70/30) and d31 is not directly measured.

Limitations

  • Composition is 80/20, not 70/30; piezoelectric properties are composition-dependent.
  • Only d33 measured; d31 must be inferred from known d31/d33 ratios.
  • In-situ poling condition (annealing only) may not replicate standard high-voltage corona poling used in bulk PVDF-TrFE film production.
  • No eps_r or Young’s modulus measurements.

Connections