Ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) as a large-scale piezoelectric sensor in a table-tennis racquet

Piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride - trifluoroethylene) copolymer is embedded as a functional material in a table-tennis racquet. Together with the developed electronics, this piezoelectric sensor is able to monitor the position where the ball contacts the racquet. In order to build up the device, conventional circuit boards with adapted electrode structures are used as substrates for the piezoelectric table-tennis racquet. This leads to challenges because such substrates are usually not flat in the micrometer range as well as the heights of copper electrodes cause irregularities in the final surface topology. Here, the adaptation of the circuit boards, the processing and polarization of the piezoelectric polymer layer, the designed electronics for signal detection and the properties of the table tennis racquet are discussed.