A Coupled Electro-Mechanical Homogenization-Based Model for PVDF-Based Piezo-Composites Considering α → β Phase Transition and Interfacial Damage.

Polyvinylidene fluoride or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) is a piezoelectric semi-crystalline polymer whose electro-mechanical properties may be modulated via strain-induced α → β phase transition and the incorporation of polarized inorganic particles. The present work focuses on the constitutive representation of PVDF-based piezo-composites developed within the continuum-based micromechanical framework and considering the combined effects of particle reinforcement, α → β phase transition, and debonding along the interface between the PVDF matrix and the particles under increasing deformation. The micromechanics-based model is applied to available experimental data of PVDF filled with various concentrations of barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) particles. After its identification and predictability verification, the model is used to provide a better understanding of the separate and synergistic effects of BaTiO 3 particle reinforcement and the micromechanical deformation processes on the electro-mechanical properties of PVDF-based piezo-composites.