Piezoelectric, Flexoelectric and Electrostrictive Effects in Polymers: From Material Synthesis to Practical Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The piezoelectric effect is among the most exploited transduction mechanisms for multiscale electromechanical applications, such as actuation and sensing (e.g., pressure/curvature sensing). Despite the piezoelectric coefficients of polymeric materials like the reference polymer polyvinylidene fluoride PVDF and related copolymers being lower than those of their rigid oxide-based counterparts (ceramics, single crystals), soft organic films remain attractive owing to their specific intrinsic assets like easier and low cost processability, lightweight, conformability, and flexibility. In addition, their low acoustic and electrical impedances are advantageous for developing biocompatible applications such as wearable sensory devices and smart textiles and possibly low frequency ambient mechanical energy harvesting.

However, two other electromechanical couplings present in all dielectric polymers are also of interest, even if relatively understudied in comparison with piezoelectricity: electrostriction and flexoelectricity, which may provide in specific cases an alternative route for electric field activated actuation and strain (gradient)-induced electric polarization, respectively, especially at small (nano/micro) scales.

Thus, the aim of this Special Issue is to provide a current state of the art of the so-called electroactive polymers presenting intrinsic electromechanical coupling, in view of developing the next generation of polymer-based shapeable mechanical transducers. To that end, cutting-edge research articles presenting (but not limited to) recent innovative aspects in the topic are solicited in the following fields:

• Synthesis of new electroactive polymer formulations and related composites (particulate, multilayer, compositionally graded, etc.);
• Structural characterization; strategies for enhancing electromechanical response;
• Fabrication methods of polymer films;
• Computational studies;
• Modeling and experimental determination of the structure–property relationships;
• Evaluation of the actuation/sensing/energy harvesting abilities of the electromechanically coupled polymers;

Integration of polymers in practical applications.

Prof. Benoit Guiffard
Guest Editor

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