Effect of drawing on the molecular orientation and polymorphism of melt-spun polyvinylidene fluoride fibers: Toward the development of piezoelectric force sensors

Thin piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride fibers containing a high piezoelectric β‐phase content of up to 80% were developed in this work using a melt‐spinning process. After crystallization from the melt, the fibers were subsequently stretched unidirectionally at 120°C between 25 and 75% of their original length. The effects on the molecular orientation, polymorphism and tensile properties of the fibers were investigated. Polarized infra‐red spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction results show that the conversion of α‐phase to β‐phase occurred during the stretching process as a result of molecular alignment and creation of a dipole induced by the CF2 groups normal to the fiber direction. These fibers were then integrated into various weave architectures in order to design flexible two‐dimensional textile‐based piezoelectric force sensors. The piezoelectric responsiveness of these materials, tested under impact (70 Newton force, 1 Hz frequency) was very promising, with a maximum output voltage of up to 6 V and an average sensitivity of up to 55 mV/N measured. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013