Influences of Printing Parameters on Semi-Crystalline Microstructure of Fused Filament Fabrication Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Components

Piezoelectric polymers have garnered wide interest for sensing, actuation, and energy harvesting applications due to their unique combination of high strain tolerance and electro-mechanical coupling. Compared to other piezoelectric polymers, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymer and terpolymer variations demonstrate some of the strongest piezoelectric responses. One of the primary challenges associated with PVDF is that its piezoelectric response is highly dependent on its microstructure, which varies greatly with manufacturing-associated stresses. This work investigates Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) of PVDF polymers, and the effects of processing parameters such as layer thickness, infill pattern, infill density and nozzle diameter on its microstructure development. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements are used to assess the relative phase content of the semi-crystalline microstructure arrangement primary related with significant piezoelectric response in PVDF (β-phase).