Shear piezoelectricity in poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene): full piezotensor coefficients by molecular modeling, biaxial transverse response, and use in suspended energy-harvesting nanostructures

The intrinsic flexible character of polymeric materials also causes remarkable strain deformations along directions perpendicular to the applied stress. Here the biaxial response in the shear piezoelectricity of polyvinylidenefluoride copolymers is analyzed and their full piezoelectric tensors are provided. The microscopic shear is exploited in single suspended nanowires bent by localized loading to couple flexural deformation and transverse piezoelectric response.