Electrical conduction and space charge behaviors in polyvinylidene fluoride

The role of space charge in electrical conduction in PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) films are investigated by thermal-pulse-current (TPC) technique. At 373 K, negative space charge is observed. When the applied field is low (<10⁷ V m^-1), the negative charge is concentrated near the anode. When the applied field is high (10⁷ V m^-1), negative charge injection from the cathode seems to take place. The space charge is distributed throughout the specimen. It steadily remains in part after short-circuiting. This remaining space charge reduces the injection field and explains the hysteresis in the low-field conduction