Pyroelectric applications of ferroelectric polymers

The major application of pyroelectric materials is in infrared detection, although their unique thermal sensitivity is utilized in a number of other ways. Ferroelectric polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and vinylidene-fluoride-based copolymers have the special advantage of availability as large surface area, thin, flexible, low-cost sheets. The authors review some of the applications of these materials, namely, electronic readout spectrometers for CO₂ lasers, optical fiver absorption loss measurement, detection of standing light waves in front of a silver mirror, and cometary and interplanetary dust detection