Lateral strain force sensitivity measurements for piezoelectric polyvinylidenefluoridene sensor array

An elastic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane was used to transfer a lateral strain force on a piezoelectric polyvinylidenefluoridene (PVDF) sensor array, which was polarized perpendicular to the applied force. The stretching force was measured using a mechanical tester and the generated piezoelectric charge was measured using a charge amplifier. The measured lateral force sensitivityvalues varied from 200 to 700 pC/N and they were relatively independent of the applied strains in the range of 0.03 - 0.3 %.