title: Nano-Scale Characterization of a Piezoelectric Polymer (Polyvinylidene Difluoride, PVDF).
abstract: The polymer polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) has unique piezoelectric properties favorable for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS) applications. In the present research, we conducted nanometer-length scale characterization of this material using several high-resolution techniques. Specifically, we used an atomic force microscope (AFM) to study the nanoand microstructures of the PVDF under stress and to measure their nanoscale conductivity and piezoelectricity. We found that the surface morphology, electronic structure, and microstructure are profoundly affected under electrical potential. Such a behavior is important for the properties and performance of MEMS and NEMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843- 3123, USA. prettylhg@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Hyungoo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843- 3123, USA. rcooper@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3123, USA. kephwk@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843- 3123, USA. hliang@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
keywords: Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF); atomic force microscope (AFM); conductivity; ferroelectricity; piezoelectricity