Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a piezopolymer, and it has numerous applications as sensors and actuators. Development of the sensor requires more accurate knowledge of the sensors (direct piezoelectricity), mechanical and electromechanical properties. The electromechanical systems and their real-world simulations are less accurate unless we describe the precise material properties of mechanical and electromechanical loading conditions of the uniaxial PVDF. For the above reasons, investigating the mechanical and electromechanical properties or characterizing the PVDF is the subject of this thesis.

The present study aims to characterize the PVDF by conducting displacement-controlled experiments on the uniaxial PVDF. Finding corresponding constitutive models for anisotropy and the non-linear range.

The following are key summaries from the work:
1. Monotonic uniaxial and equi-biaxial experiments using the non-contact strain
measurement technique and compared with the conventional strain (crosshead
movement) method. The difference in stiffness between the two methods was
more predominant in equi-biaxial experiments.
2. Developed mechanical and electromechanical models in a non-linear range and
considering anisotropy.
3. Cyclic mechanical and electro-mechanical response of PVDF at different amplitudes
at high strains.
4. Developed a cyclic constitutive model for predicting the cyclic mechanical and
electromechanical response of PVDF. This was achieved using the Unified Mechanics
Theory, which is more robust compared to existing modelling procedures.