- Laminated polymer-film systems with well-defined void structures were prepared from fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layers. First the PTFE films were patterned and then fusion-bonded with the FEP films. The laminates were subjected to either corona or contact charging in order to obtain the desired piezoelectricity. The build-up of the "macro-dipoles" in the laminated films was studied by recording the electric hysteresis loops. The resulting electro-mechanical properties were investigated by means of dielectric resonance spectroscopy (DRS) and direct measurements of the stress-strain relationship. Moreover, the thermal stability of the piezoelectric d (33) coefficient was investigated at elevated temperatures and via thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) current measurements in short circuit. For 150 mu m thick laminated films, consisting of one 25 mu m thick PTFE layer, two 12.5 mu m thick FEP layers, and a void of 100 mu m height, the critical voltage necessary for the build-up of the "macro-dipoles"Laminated polymer-film systems with well-defined void structures were prepared from fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layers. First the PTFE films were patterned and then fusion-bonded with the FEP films. The laminates were subjected to either corona or contact charging in order to obtain the desired piezoelectricity. The build-up of the "macro-dipoles" in the laminated films was studied by recording the electric hysteresis loops. The resulting electro-mechanical properties were investigated by means of dielectric resonance spectroscopy (DRS) and direct measurements of the stress-strain relationship. Moreover, the thermal stability of the piezoelectric d (33) coefficient was investigated at elevated temperatures and via thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) current measurements in short circuit. For 150 mu m thick laminated films, consisting of one 25 mu m thick PTFE layer, two 12.5 mu m thick FEP layers, and a void of 100 mu m height, the critical voltage necessary for the build-up of the "macro-dipoles" in the inner voids was approximately 1400 V, which agrees with the value calculated from the Paschen Law. A quasi-static piezoelectric d (33) coefficient up to 300 pC/N was observed after corona charging. The mechanical properties of the film systems are highly anisotropic. At room temperature, the Young's moduli of the laminated film system are around 0.37 MPa in the thickness direction and 274 MPa in the lateral direction, respectively. Using these values, the theoretical shape anisotropy ratio of the void was calculated, which agrees well with experimental observation. Compared with films that do not exhibit structural regularity, the laminates showed improved thermal stability of the d (33) coefficients. The thermal stability of d (33) can be further improved by pre-aging. E.g., the reduction of the d (33) value in the sample pre-aged at 150A degrees C for 5 h was less than 5% after annealing for 30 h at a temperature of 90A degrees C.…
