Microstructural influence on thermal stability of ferroelectric properties in P(VDF-TrFE) spin cast thin films

Abstract

Ferroelectric polymers, like poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)), find applications across various fields due to their unique mechanical and electrical properties. This study investigates the impact of thermal loading up to 90 °C on the ferroelectric characteristics of two distinct microstructures, spherulite-like and rice-like, formed during the thermal annealing after deposition of P(VDF-TrFE) thin films. Thermal cycles revealed a reduced ferroelectric activity in spherulite-like sample, in contrast to the ferroelectric stability observed in the rice-like counterparts. XRD analyses indicate that this behaviour is due to a crystalline phase stabilization of the γ-2b phase in the spherulite-like thin films. Furthermore, energy characteristics investigations highlighted a better performance of the pristine spherulite-like compared to the rice-like microstructure. All in all, despite these performance differences, our findings remark that careful considerations are needed in potential applications of P(VDF-TrFE) thin films where reliability and precision across a wide range of operating temperatures are required.