Micro and nanofilms of poly(vinylidene fluoride) with controlled thickness, morphology and electroactive crystalline phase for sensor and actuator applications

Abstract

Poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, thin films have been processed by spin-coating with controlled thickness, morphology and crystalline phases. The influence of the polymer/solvent mass ratio of the solution, the rotational speed of the spin-coater and the temperature of crystallization of the films on the properties of the material has been investigated. It is shown that high-quality films with controlled thicknesses from 300 nm to 4.5 μm and with a controlled amount of electroactive crystalline phases can be obtained in a single deposition step, which allows tailoring the material characteristics for specific applications.