Dynamics of polarization growth and polarization reversal in PVDF films

The authors present measurements of the maximum displacement at the end of a rectangular high-voltage pulse together with the remanent polarization after the pulse under short-circuit condition as a function of the polarizing pulse end length. The pulse length varied from 10 μs to 100 s, and the field strength ranged from 0.8 MV/cm to 2 MV/cm. The original samples were reversely polarized or unpolarized 12-μm-thick films containing 37% β-material. It is concluded that the cooperative model combined with six-site potential alone cannot explain the observed switching back of the remanent polarization, its delayed development, and the long times necessary for polarization reversal. The results are qualitatively consistent with a model of charge injection and charge trapping at polarized crystallites