The effective electrostriction of P(VDF-TrFE)-polymer-based composites

Electrostriction refers to the strain induced in a dielectric by electric polarization, which is usually very small for practical applications. In this paper we present a micromechanical analysis on the effective electrostriction of a P(VDF-TrFE) polymer based composite, where the relationship between the effective electrostrictive coefficients of the composite and its microstructure is established. Enhanced electrostriction in the composite has been demonstrated, and optimal microstructure for electrostriction enhancement has been identified. Our analysis provides a mechanism for the electrostriction enhancement, where the electrostrictive strain several times higher can be obtained if the microstructure of the composites can be carefully tailored.