Surface topography and crystal and domain structures of films of ferroelectric copolymer of vinylidene difluoride and trifluoroethylene

Abstract

The crystallization of a copolymer from a solution at room temperature is found to lead to the formation of a metastable structure, characterized by the coexistence of ferroelectric and paraelectric phases. The fraction of the latter decreases after annealing above the Curie point. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has revealed a difference in the surface topographies between the films contacting with air and the films contacting with a glass substrate. The microstructure of copolymer chains has been investigated by ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy. The chain fragments with “defect” attached monomeric units are ejected to the surface. The character of the ferroelectric domains formed during crystallization and their size distribution are analyzed.