Abstract
PVF2 films of Form 2 structure were uniaxially stretched at 60 degrees C up to a stretch ratio of 7:1 and subsequently corona poled at room temperature up to a surface potential of 7 kV. Structural studies of both the stretched and the stretched and poled films were made by X-ray reflection-diffraction and Laue transmission techniques. The induced piezoelectric coefficient d31 was also measured as a function of surface (poling) potentials of films with stretch ratios in the range 1:1 to 7:1. The results show that the induced piezoelectricity in PVF2 may arise from two different type of conformational changes in the unit cell structure and is of dipolar origin.