Operando X-ray diffraction of a ferroelectric polymer based sensor as a function of elongation and during electrical measurements

The general background is the development of ferroelectric force sensors for the medical field. In the case of cardiac surgery, such sensors would enable the validation of mitral valve repair, making possible to greatly reduce death risks associated with this operation. During use, the ferroelectric polymer film will be subjected to significant mechanical stresses. The objective of the proposal is to study the formation of the ferroelectric phase with respect to the paraelectric phase in the P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer as a function of elongation. The motivation of the proposal is the knowledge of the ferroelectric properties of such sensors under elongation in order to get an accurate force measurement. The structural results combined with the electrical measurements performed during the X-ray diffraction experiment will allow us to link the structural evolution to the ferroelectric performances as a function of the tensile strain.