Modelling molecular transformations in ferroelectric polymers induced by mechanical and electric means

Abstract

We describe a new approach to model the dynamical structural modifications of ferroelectric polymer molecules induced by uniaxial stretching and by the application of electric fields of various strengths and orientations. Our approach combines a self-consistent quantum mechanical method with molecular dynamics, removing the need to use inter-atomic potentials in the dynamic calculations. Here we present results obtained for individual molecules of poly(vinylidene fluoride) in its alpha and beta form. The effects of structural disorder due to the presence of inverted monomer units in a “headto- head” and “tail-to-tail” position are also discussed.