  We investigate the electromechanical interactions in individual P(VDF-TrFE)
nanowires in response to localized electrical poling via a conducting atomic
force microscope tip. Spatially resolved measurements of piezoelectric
coefficients and elastic moduli before and after poling reveal a striking
dependence on the polarity of the poling field, notably absent in thin films of
the same composition. These observations are attributed to the unclamped nature
of the nanowires and the inherent asymmetry in their chemical and electrical
interactions with the tip and underlying substrate. Our findings provide
insights into the mechanism of poling/switching in polymer nanowires critical
to ferroelectric device performance.
