Effect of BaZrO 3 nanoparticles on pyroelectric properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) Rohan Sagar 1 • Samanvaya Singh Gaur 2 • M. S. Gaur 1 Received: 12 July 2016 / Accepted: 11 November 2016 Ó Akade ´miai Kiado ´, Budapest, Hungary 2016 Abstract Nanocomposite thin films containing PVDF and BaZrO 3 have been prepared by solution cast technique. The thin films of different mass% of BaZrO 3 nanoparticles were prepared. Heating rate and BaZrO 3 -concentration-depen- dent pyroelectric properties have been investigated. Pyro- electric effect is only observable during the period in which the temperature changes. The nanofiller improve the sur- face and bulk structure of (PVDF) and could be able to improve dipole concentration. The BaZrO 3 -enhanced for- mation of crystalline b phase in PVDF is due to strong interaction between the –C=O groups in BaZrO 3 and the – CF 2 groups in PVDF, and the BaZrO 3 -induced nanostruc- tures of amorphous and crystalline phases. This nanos- tructure enhances the pyroelectric activity of PVDF. Keywords PVDF Á Nanocomposites Á Pyroelectric coefficient Á FTIR Introduction Nowadays, nanotechnology is powerful to enhance the desired properties of material by selecting suit- able nanofillers [1–3]. Lang et al. [4] reviewed the prop- erties and applications of PVDF in last decade. PVDF nanocomposites system is newly developing area of research promises the potential application in several sector of technology. We believe that PVDF nanocomposites are one of the novel polymeric materials nowadays. The PVDF-based pyroelectric sensors depend on both thermal and pyroelectric phenomena, yet are different from thermal detectors as it behaves essentially with pure capacitance due to its high resistivity. Also these sensors can respond only to time-dependent radiation and do not respond to continuous radiation. The human and animal body emits about 60 W power of infrared radiations. However, ques- tion arises that how to detect and use this radiation in daily life? The pyroelectric coefficient provides the measure of signal voltage which in turn determines the range of operation of the sensor. The sensor properties and com- parison of sensor parameters of different materials are reported in the literature [5]. The most critical component of a pyroelectric (i.e., thermal and IR) detector is the pyroelectric material which is used as the sensing element. The pyroelectric sensor response can be amplified many times by using pyroelectric thin film. Lithium tantalate is most commonly used pyroelectric material. The current practice is to obtain lithium tantalate crystal films relies on chemical mechanical polishing techniques. Due to the limitations of polishing technology, the thinnest lithium tantalate films are in the 25- to 50-lm regime. Further thinning to about 5 lm may be achieved in specific regions of the crystals using advanced ion beam etching techniques [6]. A major drawback to mechanical thinning and ion beam techniques is that the wafer size is typically limited to about 20 mm due to the difficulty of handling the thin crystal. The Barium-based perovskites, such as BaZrO 3 (BZO), BaTiO 3 (BTO), Ba x Sr 1-x TiO 3 (BST), and BaZr 0.35 Ti 0.65(BZT), have attracted much attention for their applications in a variety of microelectronic devices such as: ferroelectric memories, IR pyroelectric sensors, insulation, and microelectromechanical systems [7]. The pyroelectric & M. S. Gaur mulayamgaur@rediffmail.com 1 Department of Physics, Hindustan College of Science and Technology, Farah, Mathura, UP 281122, India 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore, Tamilnadu, India 123 J Therm Anal Calorim DOI 10.1007/s10973-016-5964-y