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.