Different surface morphology of annealed PVDF-TrFE thin films and the effect on its ferroelectric properties

The different morphology of 250 nm PVDF-TrFE (70:30 mol%) thin films were observed in relation to its ferroelectricity. The annealing temperatures were varied from solvent evaporation (Ts), Curies transition (Tc), up to melting temperature (Tm). It was found that the annealing process promoted the development of elongated crystallite structure also known as ferroelectric crystal, which significantly improved the ferroelectric properties of PVDF-TrFE (70:30 mol%) thin films. However, the presence of nanoscale separations on the thin film annealed over Tm (AN160) suggested high possibility of defects, and hence a reduction in ferroelectric properties of thin films.