We have demonstrated an effective electrical control of polarization in the individual crystalline nanomesas of the ferroelectric polymer, poly(vinylidene fluoride)-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) and its relation to the polymer structure. The mechanism of polarization reversal has been investigated via sub-10 nm real space imaging of domain pattern evolution under an applied electric field. The ...

Biofouling is one of the drawbacks restricting the industrial applications of membranes. In this study, different thicknesses of silver nanoparticles with proper adhesion were deposited on poly(vinylidenefluoride) (PVDF) and polyethersulfone (PES) surfaces by physical vapor deposition (PVD). The crystalline and structural properties of modified and pure membranes were investigated by carrying o...

BACKGROUND Textiles in the form of surgical meshes are widely used in hernia surgery. Their porous structure allows tissue infiltration to incorporate the fabric for complete healing and device stabilization. This study was aimed to reconstitute the esophageal wall and to investigate the functional and histological consequences of a new, non-absorbable polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) mesh and an...

This paper proposes a new mechanism for ferroelectric polymorph formation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocomposites. Utilizing time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the real-time investigation of the conformational changes of the PVDF chain segment during crystallization of neat PVDF and the corresponding nanocomposite was performed. Whilst PVDF-clay nanocomposi...

The theory for calculation and/or measurement of sound power based on the classical velocity-based radiation mode (V-mode) approach is well established for planar structures. However, the current V-mode theory is limited in scope in that it can only be applied to conventional motion sensors (i.e., accelerometers). In this study, in order to estimate the sound power of vibrating beam and plate s...

We established and tested a snoring detection method using a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensor for accurate, fast, and motion-artifact-robust monitoring of snoring events during sleep. Twenty patients with obstructive sleep apnea participated in this study. The PVDF sensor was located between a mattress cover and mattress, and the patients' snoring signals were unconstrainedly measured with...

Proton conductive individual channels through a PVDF matrix have been designed using the ion track grafting technique. The chosen polyelectrolyte, a sulfonated polystyrene (PSSA), has been radiografted all along the linear and cylindrical ion tracks of irradiated PVDF leading to the creation of privileged paths for proton conduction from the anode to the cathode without inducing any further por...

The purpose of this study is to create and evaluate a smart composite structure that can be used for integrated load sensing and structural health monitoring. In this structure, PVDF films are used as the matrix material instead of epoxy resin or other thermoplastics. The reinforcements are two layers of carbon fiber with one layer of Kevlar separating them. Due to the electrical conductivity p...

Piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) used in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications are able to detect structural damage using Lamb waves. PWAS are small, lightweight, unobtrusive and inexpensive. PWAS achieve direct transduction between electric and elastic wave energies. PWAS are essential elements in the Lamb-wave SHM with pitch-catch, pulse-echo, phased array system and electr...

Abstract As a representative piezoelectric polymer, poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) has been widely used in sensors transducers and actuators. In this paper, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are prepared doped into the PVDF-HFP solution to enhance property of electrospun nanowires. The results indicate that proper amounts AuNPs within nanowires can improve phase PVDF-HFP....