Materials meet bioelectrical and -mechanical demands of the heart

Abstract

A new type of piezoelec. effect stable for several months is obtained when poly(vinylidene fluoride), poly(vinyl fluoride), or poly(vinyl chloride) films are drawn and then heated to 90 Deg and cooled while a static elec. field is applied along the thickness of the films. The piezoelectricity was also observed in polycarbonate, high-d. polyethylene, (poly(vinylidene chloride), and poly(tetrafluoroethylene), but the effect was small and decayed with time. The effect was not observed in polystyrene, cellulose triacetate, polyesters, nylon 6, and poly-(ethylene terephthalate).