Fabrication and Characterization of Optically Transparent PVDF Films Embedded with Gold Nanoparticles

Polyvinylidene fluoride is a piezoelectric polymer that can be cast into transparent thin films. New properties can be introduced by embedding nanoparticles in this polymer, making it an excellent platform for flexible and tunable electronic and optoelectronic devices. We develop a recipe for embedding plasmonic gold nanoparticles into these films while maintaining their transparency as an initial step to activate optical response in the film. We characterize films made under different poling conditions with and without nanoparticle inclusions using X-ray diffraction. We find that the inclusion of gold nanoparticles screens the poling field and has a sizable effect on the phase of the produced films.