Phonon Renormalization Induced by Electric Field in Ferroelectric Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride–Trifluoroethylene) Nanofibers

We report phonon renormalization induced by an external electric field E in ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride--trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] nanofibers through measuring the E-dependent thermal conductivity. Our experimental results are in excellent agreement with the theoretical ones derived from the lattice dynamics. The renormalization is attributed to the anharmonicity that modifies the phonon spectrum when the atoms are pulled away from their equilibrium positions by the electric field. Our finding provides an efficient way to manipulate the thermal conductivity by tuning external fields in ferroelectric materials.