TY - JOUR A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Flores Suárez, Rosaura A1 - Singh, Rajeev A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Zerstörungsfreie Tomographie von Raumladungs- und Polarisationsverteilungen mittles Wärmepulsen N2 - Non-destructive, three-dimensional imaging of space-charge and polarization distributions in electret materials has been implemented by means of laser-induced thermal pulses. In pyroelectric films of poled poly(vinylidene fluoride), images of up to 45 x 45 pixels with a depth resolution of less than 0.5 mu m and a lateral resolution of 40 mu m were recorded, the latter being limited by fast thermal diffusion in the absorbing metallic front electrode. Initial applications include the analysis of polarization distributions in corona-poled piezoelectric sensor cables and the detection of patterned space-charge distributions in polytetrafluoroethylene films. Y1 - 2007 UR - http://www.oldenbourg-link.com/loi/teme U6 - https://doi.org/10.1524/teme.2007.74.9.437 SN - 0171-8096 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Bergweiler, Steffen A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Pucher, Andreas A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Voided space-charge electrets : piezoelectric transducer materials for electro-acoustic applications Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paajanen, Mika A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Understanding the role of the gas in the voids during corona charging of cellular electret films : a way to enhance their piezoelectricity Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Fohlmeister, Jens Bernd A1 - Tiersch, Brigitte A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Two-step inflation of cellular polypropylene films: Void-thickness increase and enhanced electromechanical properties N2 - In cellular, electromechanically active polymer films, the so-called ferroelectrets, the cell size and shape distributions can be varied through a controlled inflation process. Up to now, high-pressure treatments were usually performed at elevated temperatures. There are, however, significant experimental limitations and complications if the pressure and temperature treatments are performed at the same time. Here, we demonstrate the controlled inflation of cellular polypropylene films by means of sepal-ate pressure and temperature treatments. Separate procedures are Much easier to implement. Excellent electromechanical properties were achieved with Such a two-step inflation process. The technique has significant potential for inflating large-area transducer films for electromechanical and electroacoustical applications Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Singh, Rajeev A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Lang, Sidney B. T1 - Three-dimensional mapping of polarization profiles with thermal pulses N2 - High-resolution, large-area three-dimensional mapping of polarization profiles in electret polymers was carried out by means of a fast thermal pulse technique with a focused laser beam. A lateral resolution of 38 mu m and a near- surface depth resolution of less than 0.5 mu m was achieved. At larger depths, fast thermal diffusion in the metal electrode rather than the laser spot size becomes the limiting factor for the lateral resolution. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics Y1 - 2005 SN - 0003-6951 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Thermally stable dynamic piezoelectricity in sandwich films of porous and non-porous amorphous fluoropolymer Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Flores Suárez, Rosaura A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Singh, Rajeev T1 - Thermal-pulse tomography of polarization distributions in a cylindrical geometry JF - IEEE transactions on dielectrics and electrical insulation N2 - Fast, three-dimensional polarization mapping in piezoelectric sensor cables was performed by means of the novel thermal-pulse tomography (TPT) technique with a lateral resolution of 200 mum. The active piezoelectric cable material (a copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride with trifluoroethylene) was electrically poled with a point-to-cable corona discharge. A focused laser was employed to heat the opaque outer electrode, and the short-circuit current generated by the thermal pulse was used to obtain 3D polarization maps via the scale transformation method. The article describes the TPT technique as a fast non-destructive option for studying cylindrical geometries. Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TDEI.2006.258210 SN - 1070-9878 VL - 13 IS - 5 SP - 1030 EP - 1035 PB - IEEE CY - Piscataway ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Mallepally, Rajendar Reddy A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Thermal and temporal stability of ferroelectret films made from cellular polypropylene/air composites N2 - Ferroelectrets are thin films of polymer foams, exhibiting piezoelectric properties after electrical charging. Ferroelectret foams usually consist of a cellular polymer structure filled with air. Polymer-air composites are elastically soft due to their high air content as well as due to the size and shape of the polymer walls. Their elastically soft composite structure is one essential key for the working principle of ferroelectrets, besides the permanent trapping of electric charges inside the polymer voids. The elastic properties allow large deformations of the electrically charged voids. However, the composite structure can also possibly limit the stability and consequently the range of applications because of, e. g., penetration of gas and liquids accompanied by discharge phenomena or because of a mechanical pre-load which may be required during the application. Here, we discuss various stability aspects related to the piezoelectric properties of polypropylene ferroelectrets. Near and below room temperature, the piezoelectric effect and the stability of the trapped charges are practically independent from humidity during long-time storage in a humid atmosphere or water, or from operating conditions, such as continuous mechanical excitation. Thermal treatment of cellular polypropylene above -10 degrees C leads to a softening of the voided structure which is apparent from the decreasing values of the elastic modulus. This decrease results in an increase of the piezoelectric activity. Heating above 60 degrees C, however, leads to a decrease in piezoelectricity Y1 - 2006 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Mallepally, Rajendar Reddy A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Thermal and temporal stability of ferroelectret films made from cellular polypropylene/air composites Y1 - 2006 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Frübing, Peter A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Buchsteiner, Alexandra A1 - Neumann, Werner A1 - Brehmer, Ludwig A1 - Dietel, Reinhard T1 - Pyroelectric properties and dielectric hysteresis of a poly(vinylalcohol) with azobenzene alkoxy side chains Y1 - 1999 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Seiß, Martin A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Prepariation and assessment of piezo- and pyroelectric poly- (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) copolymer films Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weinhold, Till A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Künstler, Wolfgang A1 - Seiß, Martin A1 - Görne, Thomas A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) single-film space-charge electrets with high piezoelectric coefficients Y1 - 2000 SN - 0537-9989 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Tiersch, Brigitte T1 - Porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) electret films : porosity and time dependent charging behaviour of the free surface N2 - Electrically charged porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films are often discussed as active layers for electromechanical transducers. Here, the electric charging behavior of open-porous PTFE films with different porosities is investigated. Optimized electric charging of porous PTFE films is determined by variation of charging parameters such as electric fields and charging times. Maximum surface potentials are depending on the porosity of the PTFE films. Suitable charging leads to high surface potentials observed on non-stretched or slightly stretched porous PTFE films. Further increase of charging fields yields decreasing values of the surface potential accompanied with an increase of conductivity. Y1 - 2006 UR - http://www.springerlink.com/content/601u86x365560515/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10934-006-9015-0 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael T1 - Poling of piezoelectric polymer cables and assessment of their sensor properties Y1 - 2002 SN - 0-7803-7560-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Künstler, Wolfgang A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Poling behavior and optical absorption of partially dehydrofluorinated and uniaxially stretched polyvinylidene fluoride N2 - Polyvinylidene fluoride was dissolved together with solid sodium hydroxide as catalyst in a dimethylsulfoxide/ acetone mixture and moderately dehydrofluorinated. The dehydrofluorination leads to a partial degradation of the fluorohydrocarbons, and in particular to main-chain scission and to formation of carbon double or triple bonds. This enhances the absorption at UV-vis frequencies. The degradation process also generates a large amount of excess charges in the polymer, which influence the electrical polarization behavior of the dehydrofluorinated polymer. Uniaxial stretching of moderately dehydrofluorinated polyvinylidene fluoride leads to films in a polar phase. Dipole polarization in the degraded and stretched films is demonstrated by means of switching experiments Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/00150190600694761 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Bergweiler, Steffen A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Pucher, Andreas A1 - Tuncer, Enis A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Piezoelectric two-layer stacks of cellular polypropylene ferroelectrets : transducer response at audio and ultrasound frequencies N2 - Piezoelectric cellular polypropylene films, so-called ferroelectrets, are assembled in a stack with two active transducer layers. The stack is characterized with respect to its linear and quadratic response in a frequency range from 1 kHz to 80 kHz. A relatively smooth frequency response in the sound-pressure level is found for the individual layers as well as for both layers driven in phase. The piezoelectric response of the two-layer stack is twice the response of an individual layer over a rather broad frequency range. Furthermore, the influence of the preparation conditions on the resonance frequency and the effect of the quadratic distortion on the radiated sound are investigated both for the individual transducer films in the stack and for the stack system as a whole Y1 - 2005 SN - 0885-3010 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Piezoelectric polyethylene terephthalate (PETP) foams : specifically designed and prepared ferroelectret films Y1 - 2005 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Künstler, Wolfgang A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Piezo-, pyro- and ferroelectricity in poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) copolymer films N2 - Thin films of poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) P(VDF-HFP) show significant electroactive properties, such as piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity and electrostriction. Suitable polar P(VDF-HFP) copolymer films can be prepared by melt-pressing or solution-casting. Dipolar orientation causes the macroscopic polarization and thus also the symmetry breaking necessary for electroactive properties. We discuss the polarization build-up in thin, stretched and non-stretched, films of P(VDF-HFP) copolymer with a HFP content of 15%. Poling currents measured in-situ during electric poling are analyzed and the polarization is calculated. Suitable electric poling leads to hysteresis phenomena of the polarization as a function of the electric field as well as to significant polarization during switching experiments. Our results indicate dipolar orientation also in non-stretched P(VDF-HFP) films Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Qiu, X. L. A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Zhang, X. Q. A1 - Hillenbrand, J. A1 - Xia, Zhongfu A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Sessler, G. M. T1 - Penetration of sulfur hexafluoride into cellular polypropylene films and its effect on the electric charging and electromechanical response of ferroelectrets N2 - Cellular polypropylene (PP) films were treated with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas in order to study the SF6 penetration behaviour and optimize the electric charging conditions. There were differences in the penetration of SF6 for different cellular PP materials, depending on the microscopic properties, which manifest themselves in the voided structure as well as in the mechanical stiffnesses of the cellular films. The penetration of SF6 after long-term pressure treatment is confirmed in strongly inflated cellular PP films with a low mechanical stiffness of about 1 MPa. No SF6 penetration occurs for slightly inflated cellular PP films with smaller void sizes and higher mechanical stiffnesses of around 5.8 MPa. The observed thickness variations, the higher charging fields during corona charging because of SF6 penetration and the SF6 environment, as well as the resulting electromechanical properties are discussed Y1 - 2005 SN - 0022-3727 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Hesse, J. A1 - Wegener, T. A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Patterned ferro-, pyro- and piezoelectricity in poly(vinylindene fluoride) by means of a laser-induced irreversible beta to alpha phase transformation [Erratum] Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Hesse, J. A1 - Wegener, T. A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Patterned ferro-, pyro- and piezoelectricity in poly(vinylindene fluoride) by means of a laser-induced irreversible beta to alpha phase transformation Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tuncer, Enis A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Frubing, Peter A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Origin of temperature dependent conductivity of alpha-polyvinylidene fluoride N2 - The conductivity of alpha-polyvinylidene fluoride is obtained from dielectric measurements performed in the frequency domain at several temperatures. At temperatures above the glass-transition, the conductivity can be interpreted as an ionic conductivity, which confirms earlier results reported in the literature. Our investigation shows that the observed ionic conductivity is closely related to the amorphous phase of the polymer. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics Y1 - 2005 SN - 0021-9606 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Voronina, Olena A1 - Zirkel, Larissa A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Optimized preparation of elastically soft, highly piezoelectric, cellular ferroelectrets from nonvoided poly(ethylene terephthalate) films N2 - Electrically charged cellular polymer films can exhibit very high piezoelectric activity and are therefore more and more often employed in advanced electromechanical and electro-acoustical transducers. In this paper, we report an optimized sequence of steps for preparing such ferroelectrets from commercial nonvoided ploy(ethylene terephthalate) (PETP) films by means of foaming with CO2 biaxial mechanical stretching, controlled void inflation, and bipolar electric charging. The nonvoid PETP films foamed with supercritical CO2 at a suitably high pressure and subsequently annealed for stabilization. The cellular foam structure was further optimized by means of well controlled biaxial stretching in a commercial stretcher and sometimes subsequent inflamation in a pressure chamber. Bipolar electric charging of the internal voids was achieved through the application of high electric fields in an SF0 atmosphere. The new optimized PETP ferroelectric exhibit quite large piezoelectric coefficients up to almost 500 pCN(-1), for which unusually low elastic stiffness of only around 0.3 MPa are essential. The PETP foam ferroelectrics posses unclamped thickenss-extension resonance frequences between approximately 120 and 250 kHz, and are thus highly suitable for several established as well as novel ultrasonic-transductant applications. Y1 - 2007 UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.200600162/pdf U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.200600162 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saarimäki, Eetta A1 - Paajanen, Mika A1 - Savijärvi, Ann-Mari A1 - Minkkinen, Hannu A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Voronina, Olena A1 - Schulze, Robert A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Novel heat durable electromechanical film : processing for electromechanical and electret applications N2 - New ferroelectrets were developed on the basis of foams from cyclo-olefin polymers and copolymers. The results obtained on the cyclo-olefin polymer foam demonstrate a significant improvement of the service temperature for ferroelectret transducer materials. Suitable compounding and preparation led to cyclo-olefin ferroelectrets with an electromechanical activity of around 15 pC/N, which is thermally stable at least up to 110 degrees C. The properties in sensor and actuator applications are strongly dependent on the processing parameters related to film-making, sensor and actuator preparation, gas content and electric charging. The processing window for the film stretching was very narrow compared to the earlier developed polypropylene ferroelectrets. The film porosity, softness and thus the electromechanical activity are adjusted by gas-diffusion expansion. The activity of the electromechanically operating sensors and actuators was increased by stacking several layers of cellular cyclo-olefin film. For applications such as flat loudspeakers, the foamed films are tuned by tensioning them on a support frame. Correct tensioning was essential also for reducing the distortion levels. Y1 - 2006 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Greco, Tonino A1 - Wang, Feipeng A1 - Wegener, Michael T1 - Multifunctional silver poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposites : nanoparticle synthesis, film processing, and structural characterization N2 - Scope of this work was the synthesis of homogeneously dispersed silver nanoparticles in the ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and the study of the resulting properties affecting both the electro-active matrix and the optically-active nanofiller. In the nanocomposites surface plasmon resonances can be tuned across the UV- vis to the NIR spectral range. From IR spectra and DSC measurements it is concluded that the - to -phase transformation is observed and no degradation of the polymer matrix occurs. Finally, electrical poling was performed in order to investigate the influence of the embedded silver particles on the polarization behavior of the ferroelectric polymer. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=journal&issn=0015-0193 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/00150193.2010.482896 SN - 0015-0193 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tuncer, Enis A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Modeling electro-mechanical properties of layered electrets : application of the finite-element method N2 - We present calculations on the deformation of two- and three-layer electret systems. The electrical field is coupled with the stress-strain equations by means of the Maxwell stress tensor. In the simulations, two-phase systems are considered, and intrinsic relative dielectric permittivity and Young's modulus of the phases are altered. The numerically calculated electro-mechanical activity is compared to an analytical expression. Simulations are performed on two- and three-layer systems. Various parameters in the model are systematically varied and their influence on the resulting piezoelectricity is estimated. In three-layer systems with bipolar charge, the piezoelectric coefficients exhibit a strong dependence on the elastic moduli of the phases. However, with mono-polar charge, there is no significant piezoelectric effect. A two-dimensional simulation illustrated that higher piezoelectric coefficients can be obtained for non-uniform surface charges and low Poisson's ratio of phases. Irregular structures considered exhibit low piezoelectric activity compared to two-layer structures. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0304-3886 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kussmaul, Björn A1 - Risse, Sebastian A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Kofod, Guggi A1 - Krüger, Hartmut T1 - Matrix stiffness dependent electro-mechanical response of dipole grafted silicones JF - Smart materials and structures N2 - The properties of dielectric elastomer actuators can be optimized by modifying the dielectric or mechanical properties of the dielectric elastomer. This paper presents the simultaneous control of both dielectric and mechanical properties, in a silicone elastomer network comprising cross-linker, chains and grafted molecular dipoles. Chains with two different molecular weights were each combined with varying amounts of grafted dipole. Chemical and physical characterization showed that networks with stoichiometric control of cross-linking density and permittivity were obtained, and that longer chain lengths resulted in higher electrical field response due to the reduction in cross-linking density and correspondingly in mechanical stiffness. Both actuation sensitivities were enhanced by 6.3 and 4.6 times for the short and long chain matrix material, respectively. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/0964-1726/21/6/064005 SN - 0964-1726 VL - 21 IS - 6 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Künstler, Wolfgang A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Görne, Thomas A1 - Urayama, D. A1 - Neher, Dieter T1 - Inverse piezoelectricity of porous PTFE films with bipolar space charge Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ryabchun, Alexander A1 - Kollosche, Matthias A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Sakhno, Oksana T1 - Holographic Structuring of Elastomer Actuator: First True Monolithic Tunable Elastomer Optics JF - Advanced materials N2 - Volume diffraction gratings (VDGs) are inscribed selectively by diffusive introduction of benzophenone and subsequent UV-holographic structuring into an electroactive dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA), to afford a continuous voltage-controlled grating shift of 17%. The internal stress coupling of DEA and optical domain allows for a new generation of true monolithic tunable elastomer optics with voltage controlled properties. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201602881 SN - 0935-9648 SN - 1521-4095 VL - 28 SP - 10217 EP - 10223 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Flores Suárez, Rosaura A1 - Singh, Rajeev A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Lang, Sidney B. A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - High-resolution space-charge and polarization tomography with thermal pulses N2 - Die Arbeit wurde am 13.03.2006 mit dem "BEST PAPER AWARD" des deutschen IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement (I&M) Chapter ausgezeichnet. Y1 - 2006 SN - 3-8007-2939-3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Künstler, Wolfgang A1 - Richter, Kristin A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Ferroelectric polarization in stretched piezo- and pyroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) copolymer films Y1 - 2002 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kussmaul, Bjoern A1 - Risse, Sebastian A1 - Kofod, Guggi A1 - Wache, Remi A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - McCarthy, Denis N. A1 - Krüger, Hartmut A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Enhancement of dielectric permittivity and electromechanical response in silicone elastomers molecular grafting of organic dipoles to the macromolecular Network JF - Advanced functional materials N2 - A novel method is established for permittivity enhancement of a silicone matrix for dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) by molecular level modifications of the elastomer matrix. A push-pull dipole is synthesized to be compatible with the silicone crosslinking chemistry, allowing for direct grafting to the crosslinker molecules in a one-step film formation process. This method prevents agglomeration and yields elastomer films that are homogeneous down to the molecular level. The dipole-to-silicone network grafting reaction is studied by FTIR. The chemical, thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of films with dipole contents ranging from 0 wt% to 13.4 wt% were thoroughly characterized. The grafting of dipoles modifies the relative permittivity and the stiffness, resulting in the actuation strain at a given electrical field being improved by a factor of six. KW - dipole grafting KW - silicone based dielectric elastomer actuators KW - permittivity enhancement Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201100884 SN - 1616-301X VL - 21 IS - 23 SP - 4589 EP - 4594 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Feipeng A1 - Frübing, Peter A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Wegener, Michael T1 - Enhanced Polarization in Melt-quenched and Stretched Poly(vinylidene Fluoride-Hexafluoropropylene) Films N2 - beta-phase poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) copolymer films were prepared by uniaxially stretching solution-cast or melt-quenched samples. Different preparation routes lead to different amounts of the crystalline alpha and beta phases in the films, as detected by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry. The beta phase is significantly enhanced in melt-quenched and stretched films in comparison to solution-cast and stretched films. This is particularly true for copolymer samples with higher HFP content. The beta- phase enhancement is also observed in ferroelectric-hysteresis experiments where a rather high polarization of 58 mC/ m(2) was found on melt-quenched and stretched samples after poling at electric fields of 140 MV/m. After poling at 160 MV/m, one of these samples exhibited a piezoelectric d(33) coefficient as high as 21 pC/N. An electric-field-induced partial transition from the alpha to the beta phase was also observed on the melt-quenched and stretched samples. This effect leads to a further increase in the applications-relevant dipole polarization. Uniaxially stretched ferroelectric- polymer films are highly anisotropic. Dielectric resonance spectroscopy reveals a strong increase of the transverse piezoelectric d(32) coefficient and a strong decrease of the transverse elastic modulus c(32) upon heating from 20 to 50 degrees C. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/servlet/opac?punumber=94 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TDEI.2010.5539679 SN - 1070-9878 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Giacometti, J. A. A1 - Altafim, Ruy Alberto Pisani A1 - Santos, Lucas F. A1 - Faria, Roberto M. A1 - Paajanen, Mika T1 - Electrode polling of cellular polypropylene films with short high-voltage pulses Y1 - 2002 SN - 0-7803-7502-5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Electric poling and electromechanical characterization of 0.1-mm-thick sensor films and 0.2-mm-thick cable layers from piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) Y1 - 2003 SN - 0885-3010 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tuncer, Enis A1 - Wegener, Michael T1 - Elastic properties of highly anisotropic thin poly(propylene) foams N2 - In this letter, elastic properties of highly anisotropic cellular poly(propylene) films are reported. The material shows peculiar elastic properties compared to other foams in the literature. The data is displayed as the relative Young's modulus E*/E-s versus relative density rho*/rho(s). Almost all the data from the literature are located on the region E*/E-s = (rho*/rho(s))(n) with 1 less than or equal to n less than or equal to 6. The introduced material on the other hand has lower relative Young's modulus at high relative densities, n greater than or equal to 6. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved Y1 - 2004 SN - 0167-577X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Tuncer, Enis A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Bauer, Siegfried T1 - Elastic properties and electromechanical coupling factor of inflated polypropylene ferroelectrets Y1 - 2006 SN - 1-4244-0547-5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tuncer, Enis A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Distribution of relaxation times in alpha-phase polyvinylidene fluoride N2 - In this paper, a recently developed numerical method to analyze dielectric-spectroscopy data is applied to alpha-phase polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The numerical procedure is non-parametric and does not contain any of the extensively used empirical formulas mentioned in the literature. The method basically recovers the unknown distribution of relaxation times of the generalized dielectric function representation by simultaneous application of the Monte Carlo integration method and of the constrained least-squares optimization. The relaxation map constructed after the numerical analysis is compared to a-phase PVDF data presented in the literature and results of the parametric analysis with a well- known empirical formula. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved Y1 - 2005 SN - 0022-3093 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Frübing, Peter A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Buchsteiner, Alexandra A1 - Neumann, Werner A1 - Brehmer, Ludwig T1 - Different molecular mechanisms for the dielectric hysteresis and pyroelectricity in a poly(vinyl alcohol) with azobenzene-alkoxy side chains N2 - By means of pyroelectrical measurements and dielectric spectroscopy as well as structural information from differential scanning calorimetry, it is shown that, in a poly(vinyl alcohol) with azobenzene-alkoxy side chains, pyroelctricity and dielectric hysteresis which are usually related to each other have different origins. The pyroelectric effect is explained with reversible dipole-density changes upon thermal expansion, whereas the dielectric hysteresis is proposed to result from a charge-carrier polarisation. Y1 - 1999 SN - 0277-786X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Bergweiler, Steffen A1 - Zscherpel, Detlef A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Detection of elliptical oscillations and monopole breathing of organ-pipe bodies with piezoelectric polymer sensors N2 - In this paper, a measuring technique is presented for the detection of radial oscillations of tube walls excited by changes in internal air pressure. On organ pipes, the oscillations were investigated by means of piezoelectric polymer films slightly tensioned around the pipe bodies. Employing sensors with patterned electrodes, the well-known elliptical oscillation of the cross section as well as an additional monopole breathing of the organ-pipe body were detected. For the monopole breathing, a close relationship between the pressure distribution of the air-column resonances inside the pipe and the circumference variations along the pipe was observed Y1 - 2006 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Paajanen, Mika A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Corona-induced partial discharges, internal charge separation and electromechanical transducer properties in cellular polymer films Y1 - 2002 SN - 0-7803-7560-2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Dansachmüller, M. A1 - Schwödiauer, R. A1 - Bauer-Gogonea, Simona A1 - Bauer, Siegfried A1 - Paajanen, Mika A1 - Minkkinen, Hannu A1 - Raukola, J. T1 - Controlled inflation of voids in cellular polymer ferroelectrets : optimizing electromechanical transducer properties N2 - When exposed to sufficiently high electric fields, polymer-foam electret materials with closed cells exhibit ferroelectric-like behavior and may therefore be called ferroelectrets. In cellular ferroelectrets, the influence of the cell size and shape distributions on the application-relevant properties is not yet understood. Therefore, controlled inflation experiments were carried out on cellular polypropylene films, and the resulting elastical and electromechanical parameters were determined. The elastic modulus in the thickness direction shows a minimum with a corresponding maximum in the electromechanical transducer coefficient. The resonance frequency shifts as a function of the elastic modulus and the relative density of the inflated cellular films. Therefore, the transducer properties of cellular ferroelectrets can be optimized by means of controlled inflation. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Elling, B. A1 - Pinnow, M. A1 - Danz, Rudi A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Coating of porous polytetrafluoroethylene films with other polymers for electret applications Y1 - 2001 SN - 0-7803-7053-8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Montanari, Gian Carlo A1 - Fabiani, Davide A1 - Ciani, Franco A1 - Motori, Antonio A1 - Paajanen, Mika A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Wegener, Michael T1 - Charging properties and time-temperature stability of innovative polymeric cellular ferroelectrets N2 - After appropriate mechanical and electrical treatments, some cellular polymers become able to retain space charge for a long time, i.e. they acquire electret behavior. The electrical treatment consists of charging under high levels of DC electric field. The mechanical treatment, based on the application of stretching forces to cellular polymer slabs that were before expanded under pressurized gas, affects the cavity size and shape, and therefore also the effectiveness of the charging process itself. An investigation of charging mechanisms, as well as of mechanical treatment, is therefore fundamental for optimizing the ferro- and piezo-electret properties. The aim of this paper is to discuss the effect of the physical dimension of the cavities on the charging behavior of cellular ferroelectrets and to focus on the time-temperature stability for two families of polymeric cellular ferroelectrets based on polypropylene (PP) and on a cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC). Emphasis will be given to the stretching process and in particular to the expansion rate applied during the manufacturing process (which affects the radial dimension and the height of the cavities, respectively). Space-charge and partial-discharge measurements as a function of time and temperature are the main tools to infer the influence of the cavity size on charging and stability characteristics. Y1 - 2007 UR - http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/servlet/opac?punumber=94 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TDEI.2007.302892 SN - 1070-9878 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paajanen, Mika A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Charging of cellular space-charge electret films in various gas atmospheres Y1 - 2001 SN - 0-7803-7053-8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Paajanen, Mika A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Charging behaviour and thermal stability of porous and non-porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) electrets Y1 - 2007 SN - 978-1-4244-1482-6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Richter, Kristin A1 - Künstler, Wolfgang A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Charge stability and piezoelectric properties of porous fluoro-polymer space-charge electrets in layer systems Y1 - 2001 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fang, Peng A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Zirkel, Larissa T1 - Cellular polyethylene-naphthalate ferroelectrets : foaming in supercritical carbon dioxide, structural and electrical preparation, and resulting piezoelectricity N2 - Polymer foams with electrically charged cellular voids, the so-called ferroelectrets, are soft piezoelectric transducer materials. Several polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate or cyclo-olefin copolymers are under investigation with respect to their suitability as ferroelectrets. Here, the authors report an additional ferroelectret polymer, cellular polyethylene-naphthalate (PEN), which was prepared from commercial uniform polymer films by means of foaming in supercritical carbon dioxide, inflation, biaxial stretching, electrical charging, and metallization. Piezoelectric d(33) coefficients of up to 140 pC/N demonstrate the suitability of such cellular PEN films for transducer applications. Their piezoelectricity is partially stable at elevated temperatures as high as 100 degrees C. Y1 - 2007 UR - http://apl.aip.org/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2738365 SN - 0003-6951 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Bergner, André A1 - Bergweiler, Steffen T1 - Breathing modes of organ-pipe bodies : experimental detection with ring-shaped piezoelectric-polymer sensors Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bergweiler, Steffen A1 - Bergner, André A1 - Görne, Thomas A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Breathing modes and sound radiation of metallic organ pipes Y1 - 2003 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Qiu, Xunlin A1 - Mellinger, Axel A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Wirges, Werner A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Barrier discharges in cellular polypropylene ferroelectrets : how do they influence the electromechanical properties? Y1 - 2007 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegener, Michael A1 - Bauer, Siegfried A1 - Gerhard, Reimund T1 - Apparent dielectric hysteresis without significant dipolar movement? Y1 - 1999 ER -