Structural phase transition in ferroelectric fluorine polymers: X-ray diffraction and infrared/Raman spectroscopic study

Abstract
The structural phase transition has been investigated by X-ray diffraction and infrared and Raman spectroscopic measurements for ferroelectric fluorine polymers, including poly(vinylidene fluoride) and its copolymers with trifluoroethylene or tetrafluoroethylene. One of the most characteristic features of this ferroelectric transition is the large conformational change of the molecular chains between the trans and gauche rotational isomers, quite different from the structural change observed generally in the usual ionic ferroelectric materials. The crystallization and transition behaviors depend sensitively on the monomer composition in the copolymers as well as on the sample preparation conditions. The roles of the optic and acoustic phonons in the ferroelectric phase transition have been discussed based on the temperature dependences of the far-infrared spectra and the ultrasonic velocity.