Applications of polyvinylidene fluoride films

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVF2) is a ferroelectric polymer which can be used in a variety of piezoelectric and pyroelectric transducers. Application classes for PVF2 are reviewed, and figures of merit are given along with comparisons to other materials. It is shown that thickness, orientation and polarization anisotropy of PVF2 transducer films should be different for use in diverse applications. Design criteria are presented for a variety of applications including flexure mode transducers and pyroelectric detectors based on PVF2. A review is given of the commercialized applications or PVF2.