Electromechanical characterization of piezoelectric PVDF polymer films for tactile sensors in robotics applications

Abstract In this paper an experimental setup and experimental procedures which allow a fast and complete characterization of piezoelectric films continuously over the 1 Hz–1 kHz frequency range are reported. Some results related to PVDF electro-mechanical characterization are also presented. This work is intended as the first step for the electro-mechanical design of innovative integrated transductions systems for tactile sensors in robotic applications. The article concludes with a summary and a discussion of future investigations.

[1]  T. Ikeda.  Fundamentals of piezoelectricity , 1990 .

[2]  Aleksandra M. Vinogradov,et al.  Piezoelectric polymer actuator and material properties , 1996, ISAF '96. Proceedings of the Tenth IEEE International Symposium on Applications of Ferroelectrics.

[3]  V. K. Varadan,et al.  Characterization of all the elastic, dielectric, and piezoelectric constants of uniaxially oriented poled PVDF films , 2002, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[4]  Aleksandra M. Vinogradov,et al.  Electro-mechanical properties of the piezoelectric polymer PVDF , 1999 .

[5]  Javad Dargahi,et al.  Piezoelectric and pyroelectric transient signal analysis for detection of the temperature of a contact object for robotic tactile sensing , 1998 .

[6]  Giulio Sandini,et al.  Tactile Sensing—From Humans to Humanoids , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[7]  Débora T. Balogh,et al.  Corona poling and electroactivity in a side-chain methacrylate copolymer , 2000 .

[8]  Aleksandra M. Vinogradov,et al.  Dynamic response of the piezoelectric polymer PVDF , 2005 .

[9]  J. Herbert,et al.  The Applications of Ferroelectric Polymers , 1988 .

[10]  Hari Singh Nalwa,et al.  Ferroelectric Polymers : Chemistry: Physics, and Applications , 1995 .

[11]  Gary W. Bohannan,et al.  Damping and electromechanical energy losses in the piezoelectric polymer PVDF , 2004 .

[12]  C. Choy,et al.  Evaluation of the material parameters of piezoelectric materials by various methods , 1997, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[13]  E. Fukada.  History and recent progress in piezoelectric polymers , 2000, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[14]  Guo-Rong Li,et al.  The possibility of formation of large ferroelectric domains in a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene , 1992 .

[15]  Gábor Harsányi,et al.  Polymer films in sensor applications: A review of present uses and future possibilities , 2000 .

[16]  R. Nath,et al.  The piezoelectric effect and stored polarization in corona charged ABS films , 1998 .

[17]  A. M. Vinogradov,et al.  Mechanical testing and characterization of PVDF, a thin film piezoelectric polymer , 1997 .

[18]  B. Jungnickel,et al.  Piezoelectric properties of electron-irradiated poly (vinylidene fluoride) , 1990 .

[19]  J Dargahi,et al.  Human tactile perception as a standard for artificial tactile sensing—a review , 2004, The international journal of medical robotics + computer assisted surgery : MRCAS.

[20]  Brian Dickens,et al.  Hysteresis measurements of remanent polarization and coercive field in polymers , 1992 .