Elastic Ferroelectric by Radiation Crosslinking

With the rapid advancement of wearable electronics, elastic ferroelectrics, which have been prepared by thermal and photochemical crosslinking, possess tremendous potential applications in wearable devices. However, challenges arose from these crosslinking reactions, such as high crosslinking temperature, long processing time, initiator residues, limited penetration depths. In contrast, radiation crosslinking, triggered by high-energy particles at room temperature, yields materials with enhanced properties by offering advantages like the absence of active end-groups and initiators, fast crosslinking speed, deep penetration, and environmental friendliness. In this study, the elastification of ferroelectric polymers, with normal ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) as the matrix and a crosslinking sensitizer with unsaturated double bonds, was realized via electron beam radiation crosslinking. By adjusting the absorbed doses and the feed ratios of P(VDF-TrFE) and the crosslinking sensitizer, the crystallinity of the elastic ferroelectrics was controlled, effectively balancing ferroelectricity and resilience. The resulting elastic ferroelectrics maintain stable ferroelectric response under tensile strains up to 55%, exhibiting excellent elasticity and ferroelectric properties. This study presents a simple but efficient approach for preparing intrinsically elastic ferroelectric without high-temperature reaction, and eliminating the need for heating and cooling steps, providing a potential universal platform for constructing various elastic ferroelectrics.