Conductive polymer PEDOT/PSS electrodes on the piezoelectric polymer PVDF

Inkjet printing of Conductive polymers has been successfully done before, but never before has the process been used to electrode piezoelectric polymers as we have done. Piezoelectric polymers such as poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) rely on high electric fields to take advantage of their mechanical output. The electrodes need to be securely attached to the PVDF and are traditionally made of metal. The rigidity of metal significantly reduces the performance of devices made with PVDF. We have applied much more flexible conductive polymer PEDOT/PSS (3,4-polyethylenedioxythiophene-polystyrenesulfonate) electrodes on PVDF using an HP 5850 inkjet printer. The inkjet printing method is simple and cost effective. It deposits the PEDOT/PSS in uniform coatings and allows for the creation of any desired patterns on the surface of the PVDF. We have also constructed bimorphs and actuators using PVDF with the new electrodes.