A force modulation study on crystallization process in ferroelectric vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene copolymer films

This paper introduces the Force Modulation technique to the study of crystallization process in ferroelectric vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene copolymer films. Using this technique we have successfully visualized ferroelectric crystalline domains and observed that these ferroelectric domains grow out from amorphous phase, unite into strip-like structures, and finally congregate into a union. Force Modulation can weaken the influence of topography on imaging of ferroelectric domains, and reveal more details, which are difficult to be observed in topographical image.